Authors: Aurélie Brunie et al
In the face of global health worker shortages, community health workers (CHWs) are an important health care delivery strategy for underserved populations. In Uganda, community-based programs often use volunteer CHWs to extend services, including family planning, in rural areas. This study examined factors related to CHW motivation and level of activity in 3 family planning programs in Uganda. DCE results showed that provision of a package including a T-shirt, badge, and bicycle was the program input CHWs preferred, followed by a mobile phone (without airtime). IDI data reinforced and supplemented these quantitative findings. Social prestige, social responsibility, and aspirations for other opportunities were important motivators, while main challenges related to transportation and commodity stockouts. CHWs had complex motivations for wanting better compensation, including offsetting time and transportation costs, providing for their families, and feeling appreciated for their efforts. Volunteer CHW programs in Uganda and elsewhere need to carefully consider appropriate combinations of financial and nonfinancial inputs for optimal results.
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Resource Topic: CHW Role, Community Health Workers/Volunteers, Human Resources Management/Workforce Development, Job aids, Motivation/incentives, Reproductive Health/Family Planning, Scale-up, mHealth and Technology
Resource Type: Evaluation, Journal articles, Research
Year: 2014
Region:
Country: Uganda
Publisher May Restrict Access: No