Five years ago, MacKenzie Scott invested $7 million in Lwala Community Alliance and our mission of improving health care for communities across the country. This investment was transformational, and her trust-based approach to giving allowed us to lean into what we know works: placing communities at the center of health solutions. By ceding power in how the award was spent, we were able to 1) reach 33x more people; 2) grow our annual budget by 6 times; and 3) ensure the long-term future of our hospital. The impact is clear: improved health outcomes for women and children.
This was just the beginning. Lwala is now poised to redefine health care for 52 million people across Kenya.
Scale: unlocking better health for 33x more people
Since 2021, Lwala has expanded our reach from 85,000 people to 2.85 million–a 33-fold increase. More households are being visited by a paid, trained community health worker, more women are delivering safely in health facilities, and fewer children are dying from preventable causes. At the same time, Lwala is pushing forward national policy reforms–ensuring community health workers are paid, facilities are equipped to save lives, and communities can hold government accountable. Designed with gender equity at the center, this work is strengthening women’s access to care and their voice in health decisions.
Leverage: annual budget is nearly 6x bigger
MacKenzie Scott’s investment served as a powerful signal to other funders–it validated Lwala’s model and positioned us as a trusted, high-impact partner. Since then, our annual budget has grown sixfold. This fueled our expansion and also enabled us to build a resilient, strong organization positioned to withstand the many challenges experienced by our sector recently. We’ve been highlighted by Bridgespan as an example of growing African NGOs, and since MacKenzie Scott’s initial investment, we have secured even larger awards–opportunities that would not have been possible without her early vote of confidence.
Legacy: Lwala Community Hospital’s endowment ensures long-term future
Lwala was founded by a group of committed Kenyans who donated their own land and resources to build Lwala Community Hospital. As our organization grew, it felt more important than ever to honor the vision of our founding community–a hospital by and for their neighbors–through an endowment. We’ve seen growing global recognition for black-led endowments as shifts in power, but these investments are rare in practice. Using part of MacKenzie Scott’s gift, we seeded an endowment for the hospital with $3 million. It has now grown to $6.6 million, with donations ranging from $1 to $100,000. MacKenzie Scott’s willingness and courage to fund differently is ensuring that our founding community has access to healthcare for generations to come–it’s not just philanthropy, it’s legacy.
An opportunity to transform health in Kenya
The first investment from MacKenzie Scott came at a time when the Kenyan health system was on the precipice of big change–and Lwala was able to maximize that opportunity. We find ourselves at a similar moment of leverage in 2026. The Kenyan government is doubling down on its commitment to achieve “health for all” through universal health coverage, and Lwala is recognized as a trusted partner to help make it happen.
Lwala is positioned to transform how the Kenyan health system delivers care for 52 million people. We’re working at every level–from influencing national policymakers to supporting hyper-local community accountability efforts–to create this change, and we’ve built a coalition of powerful allies to amplify our voice. Additional investments can help us seize this window of opportunity, unlocking community-led solutions that improve lives across Kenya.
