CHW Central

A global resource for and about Community Health Workers

South Africa

“Contract to Volunteer”: South African Community Health Worker Mobilization for Better Labor Protection

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This article explores the growing movement for labor rights for South African community health workers (CHWs). It tracks the emergence of sporadic mobilizations for decent work (supported by local health activist organizations) and the formation of the National Union of Care Workers of South Africa (NUCWOSA) in 2016. The authors of this paper close by offering suggestions for … [Read more...] about “Contract to Volunteer”: South African Community Health Worker Mobilization for Better Labor Protection

Instructive roles and supportive relationships: client perspectives of their engagement with community health workers in a rural south African home visiting program

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Community health worker (CHW) programs have been positioned to meet the needs of marginalized populations with inequitable access to health care. With increased technical focus on CHW work, the value of CHWs in building relationships with clients tends to be overlooked. More importantly, these programs are often reframed and redeployed without attending to the interests and … [Read more...] about Instructive roles and supportive relationships: client perspectives of their engagement with community health workers in a rural south African home visiting program

Community health worker models in South Africa: a qualitative study on policy implementation of the 2018/19 revised framework

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CHWs in South Africa have long  formed a bridge between communities and  health facilities as the cornerstone of South Africa’s ward-based primary healthcare outreach teams. This study documents CHW policy implementation and adoption across six provinces to identify potential barriers and facilitators to implementation and help guide and inform future planning. The authors … [Read more...] about Community health worker models in South Africa: a qualitative study on policy implementation of the 2018/19 revised framework

Community health workers impact on maternal and child health outcomes in rural South Africa – a non-randomized two-group comparison study

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Maternal and child health outcomes improve with the implementation of CHW home-visiting in urban areas, but less is known about their effects in rural South Africa. Karl le Roux and colleagues compared a rural area with CHW to one without CHWs to determine the effectiveness of CHW home-visits on maternal and child health. CHW home visits were associated with increased … [Read more...] about Community health workers impact on maternal and child health outcomes in rural South Africa – a non-randomized two-group comparison study

Resource requirements for community-based care in rural, deep-rural and peri-urban communities in South Africa: A comparative analysis in 2 South African provinces

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Inconsistent management of South African CHW programs generally, and ward-based outreach teams WBOTS particularly, derive in part from a lack of policy regulation. Decisions about how to improve programming policy and generate best practices must quantify costs of service delivery for various types of geographical communities. Donela Beseda and colleagues evaluated differences … [Read more...] about Resource requirements for community-based care in rural, deep-rural and peri-urban communities in South Africa: A comparative analysis in 2 South African provinces