The following is a Q&A between Julia Bluestone of Jhpiego and the Frontline Health Workers Coalition and Dr. Henry Perry of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on a recently released report examining community health workers’ effectiveness in saving lives and improving health. The post was originally published in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s … [Read more...] about How to save 3.6 million children each year? Invest in community health workers
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Improving the quality of data collected by community health workers in rural Malawi
In 2007, Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (APZU), the sister organization of Partners In Health (PIH) in Malawi, began a community health worker program to support HIV care in the remote, rural district of Neno. The program was designed to complement and be integrated with a Ministry of Health national HIV care program. The addition of community health workers allows HIV care and treatment … [Read more...] about Improving the quality of data collected by community health workers in rural Malawi
Teaching New Mothers Living with HIV about the Importance of Breast-feeding
Though HIV can be transmitted from mother to child through breast milk, studies have shown that women living with HIV are less likely to pass the virus if they breast-feed their babies exclusively for at least four months. Breast milk contains nutrients and essential antibodies that can help babies fend off dangerous infections. The Kamwimbi family in Kenya, where EGPAF and … [Read more...] about Teaching New Mothers Living with HIV about the Importance of Breast-feeding
Backpacks That Save Lives? You Bet!
Summer is winding down. Store shelves are stocked with notebooks and pencils instead of sunscreen and beach balls. And for most kids, the essential back-to-school purchase is the almighty backpack. If you're going to carry books and lunch to school, you'd better have something durable -- and fashionable! -- strapped on your shoulders. You may be surprised to learn that a … [Read more...] about Backpacks That Save Lives? You Bet!
How To Inspire Courage, Spur Action And Save Lives
April and early May are bookended by World Health Worker Week (April 7-11) and International Day of the Midwife (May 5) -- two opportunities to recognize the invaluable contributions of health workers in saving and bettering the lives of our communities. The women and men who have been on my mind are the innumerable hard-working, selfless, often heroic frontline health workers … [Read more...] about How To Inspire Courage, Spur Action And Save Lives
