Authors: Chiyembekezo Kachimanga
This study explored how community health workers (CHWs) can help improve maternal health in rural Malawi through proactive home visits and mobile health (mHealth) tools. In Neno District, regular CHW home visits led to more women attending antenatal care (ANC) early and giving birth in health facilities, though postnatal care visits did not improve. A review of similar studies found that CHWs using mHealth tools often helped increase ANC and facility births but faced challenges like poor internet access and limited training. When tested locally, the YendaNafe app reduced CHW workload, built community trust, and boosted ANC attendance and facility births. The results show that combining CHW home visits with mHealth can strengthen maternal care in low-resource settings.
Link: Leveraging Community Health Workers to Improve Access to Maternity Care in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa
Resource Topic: CHW Role, Maternal healthcare
Resource Type: Review
Year: 2025
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Country: Malawi
Publisher May Restrict Access: Yes