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
Kenya
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
Using Mobile Phones to Train Healthworkers
Project The Health Enablement & Learning Platform (HELP) is a pilot project which harnesses Amref Health Africa’s understanding of African communities and their health needs, instantaneously delivering relevant health information to the mobile phones of community health workers (CHWs) in a cost-effective manner. A multidisciplinary partnership between Accenture, the … [Read more...] about Using Mobile Phones to Train Healthworkers
Improving Maternal and Newborn Health: Effectiveness of a Community Health Worker Program in Rural Kenya
This study looked at the effectiveness of CHW projects in rural Kenya that aimed to promote better maternal newborn health knowledge and to increase deliveries under skilled attendance. Some pieces of information that were examined included: relevant demographic items, knowledge about maternal and newborn health, and whether a retrospective birth history of women’s children … [Read more...] about Improving Maternal and Newborn Health: Effectiveness of a Community Health Worker Program in Rural Kenya
What do community health workers have to say about their work, and how can this inform improved programme design? A case study with CHWs within Kenya
Community health workers (CHWs) are used increasingly in the world to address shortages of health workers and the lack of a pervasive national health system. However, while their role is often described at a policy level, it is not clear how these ideals are instantiated in practice, how best to support this work, or how the work is interpreted by local actors. CHWs are often … [Read more...] about What do community health workers have to say about their work, and how can this inform improved programme design? A case study with CHWs within Kenya