LVCT Health rebrands to expand beyond HIV services

The launch of LVCT Health’s new brand identity reflects its growth from an organisation rooted in HIV programming into a broader health systems, innovation and implementation partner.

LVCT Health has announced a corporate rebranding as it ramps up efforts to explore other funding sources amid dwindling donor funding and support.

LVCT Health CEO Lilian Otiso said the shrinking of donor resources, particularly from the United States government, which contributed 90 per cent of the organisation's funding, had prompted it to explore alternative funding sources through restructuring and rebranding.

Otiso is optimistic that the rebranding will especially be vital in boosting and expanding the organisation’s social enterprise model, which involves generating income through business activities and services to supplement donor funding and sustain long-term healthcare delivery.

Under the model, the organisation can generate income through services such as corporate wellness programmes and private-sector partnerships, with the proceeds supporting its public health mission.

LCVT Health aims to leverage its research, evidence, intellectual property and technical expertise to develop health solutions that will benefit millions of people locally and internationally, while helping the organisation pool resources to sustain its health programmes.

Some of the products and services the organisation is offering under the model include a TVET-accredited training institute offering courses in various health programmes, workplace wellness services, safeguarding, support for organisations delivering social impact projects, research and evaluation, and digital health innovations, among others.

“A lot of what we have been doing has been about utilising the assets we have acquired over the years. Most of these are data-based, and we see ourselves as a data-enabled organisation that is on course to deliver services to more than 30 million people and beyond,” Otiso said.

“One of the ways we are doing this is through a social enterprise model, which means that besides being an NGO that receives grants, we are looking at how we can utilise our assets, intellectual property and data to turn them into market-facing products that the private sector and other sectors can use,” she added.

That rebrand also aims to project the organisation, which has long been associated with HIV testing, prevention and testing efforts,  as one that also addresses other vital components of the healthcare ecosystem including maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and mental health.

It includes the introduction of a new logo which has symbols that highlight other health segments the organisation deals with apart from HIV, which still remains its core priority.

The announcement was made on Thursday during an event organised by LVCT Health that brought together leaders from government, healthcare, business and development institutions to deliberate on how partnerships between health stakeholders could propel the country towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

LVCT Health is a data-enabled health organisation that focuses on expanding equitable access to health services, generating research, and strengthening health systems across Kenya and other African nations, and collaborates with governments and funders to design community, system-level, and digital health solutions.

“Today we have launched a new logo for our organisation because many of you have been mistaking us for Liverpool. The rebrand will help people recognise that we not only deal with HIV but also other issues related to health such as mental health, maternal health, among others,” LVCT Health Programme Manager Patriciah Jeckoniah said.

The Kenya Health Federation CEO, Anne Musuva, said that vibrant partnerships between the public and private sectors are key to shaping policy, strengthening health systems and improving health outcomes through innovations and data-driven interventions in Kenya and across Africa.