A paucity of skilled health providers is a considerable impediment to reducing maternal, infant, and under-five mortality for many low-resource countries. Although evidence supports the effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs) in delivering primary healthcare services, shifting tasks to this cadre from providers with advanced training has been pursued with overall … [Read more...] about Experiences engaging community health workers to provide maternal and newborn health services: Implementation of four programs
Scale-up
Valuing the work of unpaid community health workers and exploring the incentives to volunteering in rural Africa
Community health worker (CHW) programmes are currently being scaled-up in sub-Saharan Africa to improve access to healthcare. CHWs are often volunteers; from an economic perspective, this raises considerations whether reliance on an unpaid workforce is sustainable and how to appropriately cost and value the work of CHWs. Both these questions can be informed by an understanding … [Read more...] about Valuing the work of unpaid community health workers and exploring the incentives to volunteering in rural Africa
Motivation and satisfaction among community health workers in Morogoro Region, Tanzania: nuanced needs and varied ambitions
In 2012, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), Tanzania, approved national guidelines and training materials for community health workers (CHWs) in integrated maternal, newborn and child health (Integrated MNCH), with CHWs trained and deployed across five districts of Morogoro Region soon after. To inform future scale up, this study assessed motivation and … [Read more...] about Motivation and satisfaction among community health workers in Morogoro Region, Tanzania: nuanced needs and varied ambitions
Strengthening Primary Health Care through Community Health Workers: Investment Case and Financing Recommendations
Despite the progress some countries have made in scaling up CHW programs, many countries that would benefit from strong CHW cadres currently have only ad hoc, sub-scale programs. This problem extends even to high-income countries that would benefit from CHW programs to provide cost-effective care and battle chronic disease. Countries wishing to scale these programs using a … [Read more...] about Strengthening Primary Health Care through Community Health Workers: Investment Case and Financing Recommendations
Community Tool Box
The Community Tool Box is a free, online resource for those working to build healthier communities and bring about social change. Our mission is to promote community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources. The Tool Box consists of 46 chapters with topics ranging from community assessment to strategic planning to leadership and … [Read more...] about Community Tool Box