Country Insights

Elevating Country Voices

Hear from the frontlines of community health. Find stories and interviews of community health workers and community health program managers that will deepen understanding of their crucial function delivering lifesaving care to communities.

Zambia: Mwango Mlenga

Sierra Leone: Alpha Bangura

Kenya: Kilala Health Centre

Liberia: Bob Kaifa

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Country Financing

Technical and practical resources to help community health program planners navigate the complex financing landscape and build well resourced health systems.

Strengthening Primary Health Care through CHWs: The Investment Case

This report, from 2015, presents the recommendations from a distinguished group of global health and government leaders making the case for investment in CHWs as a component of primary health care and options for financing.

–> Learn more and download this report.

Financing Compendium

The Financing Compendium is a one-stop shop for community health practitioners on financing options illustrating different financing instruments and approaches that might be applicable for a country.

–> Learn more and download this resource.

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Country Community Health Systems Case Studies

A source for robust information on community health system profiles for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, taking a financing lens. Insights cover details on community health system context, structure and lessons on financing.

Ghana

Ghana’s national CHW program began with field experiments in Navrongo and Bonsasso, eventually growing to include 19,273 volunteers and 2,523 workers in 2019.

Key factors in the program’s success include:

• Partnerships between political leaders and programs
• Community health integration into the local health system
• Community health assistants and volunteers as key actors
• Adaptive leadership
• Horizontal integration of community health systems
• Innovative partnerships

–> Learn more and download this case study.

Kenya

Kenya’s community health program was introduced in 2006 and has undergone various evolutions to culminate in an effective and increasingly prominent health program.

Key factors in the program’s success include:

• Mobilizing political will and commitment in a decentralized governance structure
• Feedback loop between county and national government
• Integration of community health into the broader health system
• Mobilizing domestic and innovative financing sources
• Ongoing adaptation and refinement of the community health system
• Fostering coordination with partners for increased harmonization

–> Learn more and download this case study.

Find more FAH country case studies in the CHW Central Resources database. Search for “country case study.”

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Community Health Strategies and Policies

A repository of current community health strategies and policies from sub-Saharan African countries.

Kenya’s National Community Health Strategy, 2020-2025

Empirical evidence from an investment case that was developed by the Division of Community Health shows that community health is one of the best buys in health in Kenya. That investment case demonstrated that for every one shilling invested in community health, Kenya reaps the equivalent of KES 9.4 in economic and societal benefits. The Kenya Community Health Strategy 2020–2025 (KCHS 2020–2025) was developed to build on the Community Health Strategy (2014–2019). An initial assessment of the Community Health Strategy as well as the community health system in Kenya was carried out to identify the strengths and challenges. The writing process entailed-face to-face and virtual meetings with community members, county health management teams, Ministry of Health, implementing and development partners. Validation and consensus building meetings helped to further refine the strategy.

The strategic directions and objectives of the KCHS 2020–2025 not only build on the Community Health Strategy 2014-2019 but make several deliberate additions to community health systems in Kenya. Key among these is the aspiration to increase and sustain investments into community health anchored on innovative domestic resource mobilization strategies. Beyond this, KCHS 2020–2025 aims to integrate community health into the wider health system in part by fostering strategic partnerships and accountability among stakeholders at all levels of the health system in Kenya. This is in keeping with the global appreciation of integrated health systems and the compelling evidence in favour of a universal approach to healthcare delivery, in line with universal health care principles.

–> Learn more and download the full Strategy document.

Zambia’s National Community Health Strategy, 2019-2021

The overarching goal of the National Community Health Strategy (NHCS) is to contribute to the achievement of the Ministry of Health’s goals; this will be done by improving access to health services at the community level. The Zambian government (GRZ) is committed to providing universal, quality and equitable health care services to the people of Zambia. While Zambia has made significant strides in improving key health outcomes, significant challenges remain. The GRZ has made community health a key part of its strategy to continue to improve health outcomes for all Zambians.

The NCHS aims to reposition and expand the current cadre of frontline workers in the formal sector, and strengthen the link to the informal sector. It is designed to guide in the strengthening of community mechanisms to improve the provision of preventive, promotive and minor curative health services. Objectives include:

• building a motivated, skilled, equitably distributed community health workforce
• roll out formal community health structures to at least 110 districts
• increased access to quality basic health services
• resource mobilization
• timely availability of community health data for decision making

–> Learn more and download the full Strategy document.