In Malawi, where the majority of the population resides in rural areas, community health workers (CHWs) are the first, and often only, providers of health services. An assessment of health information needs, however, found that these frontline workers often lacked essential health information. A pilot project, implemented in 2 rural districts of Malawi between 2010 and 2011, … [Read more...] about Taking knowledge for health the extra mile: participatory evaluation of a mobile phone intervention for community health workers in Malawi
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
A Commitment to Community Health Workers: Improving Data for Decision Making
In a new policy report, the Frontline Health Workers Coalition and partners call for human resources for health (HRH) stakeholders to create a common definition for the “community health worker” along with an agreed-upon set of core tasks and competencies, using the International Labour Organization definition as a guiding framework. To enhance the quality and … [Read more...] about A Commitment to Community Health Workers: Improving Data for Decision Making
Learning to Pay the Price: The Need for Remuneration of Frontline Health Workers
This blog originally appeared Maternal Health Task Force blog page. In many parts of rural sub-Saharan Africa, clinics and hospitals are few and far between. A recent report by Save the Children estimates that every day approximately 22,000 children die before they reach their fifth birthday. This fact is augmented by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) … [Read more...] about Learning to Pay the Price: The Need for Remuneration of Frontline Health Workers
Improving Maternal and Newborn Health: Effectiveness of a Community Health Worker Program in Rural Kenya
Volunteer community health workers (CHWs) form an important element of many health systems, and in Kenya these volunteers are the foundation for promoting behavior change through health education, earlier case identification, and timely referral to trained health care providers. This study examines the effectiveness of a community health worker project conducted in rural … [Read more...] about Improving Maternal and Newborn Health: Effectiveness of a Community Health Worker Program in Rural Kenya
Developing and Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs at Scale: A Reference Guide and Case Studies for Program Managers and Policymakers
Welcome to Developing and Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs at Scale: A Reference Guide and Case Studies for Program Managers and Policymakers (the CHW Reference Guide). This guide is a long and detailed volume that is not intended to be read from cover to cover but rather to be used as a document that can be referred to as specific issues or questions arise. In … [Read more...] about Developing and Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs at Scale: A Reference Guide and Case Studies for Program Managers and Policymakers

