Country Resources

Country Community Health System Information

Fact Cards

The Financing Alliance for Health has produced a series of fact cards providing key information on health landscapes, financing, and community health systems across eight countries in Sub-Saharan Africa:

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.

🇷🇼 Rwanda

Rwanda’s national CHW program was introduced in 1995 and includes 45,000 health workers. CHWs work in male-female pairs called Binômes and provide health screenings, education on NCDs, and more. Additionally, each community has an Assistante Maternelle de Santé, or maternal health assistant, whose duties include providing contraceptives and regular household visits.

Key factors in the program’s success include:

Strong political commitment
Fluid program implementation
Strong policy and strategic plan
Focus on high-yield interventions

🇿🇦 South Africa

In 2010, South Africa began to re-engineer the primary health care process. There are approximately 65,000 CHWs in the country who provide health education, health needs assessments, and more.

Key factors in the program’s success include:

Detailed data management and evaluation
Strong sub-national implementation structures
CHW integration with existing mechanisms

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

Community Health Strategies and Policies

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

Tharaka Nithi Community Health Strategy 2021-2025

Tharaka Nithi county, Kenya, partnered with the Financing Alliance for Health to develop the county’s first-ever community health strategy.

Following a 2021 situational analysis, county officials recognized several key challenges with the existing community health program, including inadequate training, inequitable health service coverage, and limited partner coordination.

The 2021-2025 Community Health Strategy outlines potential interventions that address these challenges and help the county achieve universal health coverage. Examples of these interventions include ensuring optimal recruitment and deployment of county community health workers and reinforcing community referral mechanisms.

Laikipia Community Health Strategy 2021–2025

In collaboration with the Financing Alliance for Health, Laikipia county, Kenya, developed the 2021-2025 Community Health Strategy.

After the initial implementation of a Community Health Strategy in 2012, Laikipia county observed significant improvements in employment, the economy, and quality of life. However, due to inadequate health financing and gaps in the program’s implementation, the county risks losing these improvements.

The 2021-2025 strategy aims to enhance preventive and promotive health services in Laikipia county, and outlines key interventions including strengthening community health partnerships, increasing usage of community health services, and improving community health workforce coordination and management.

Find more FAH strategies in the CHW Central Resources database. Search for “strategy.”