Community Health
Championing countries’ efforts to extend the reach and range of their community health services
Strong community health systems are essential for meeting malaria and child health goals and for achieving PMI’s strategic objectives. Community health workers (CHWs) have demonstrated the ability to provide testing and treatment for malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, and other childhood diseases. They make lifesaving care accessible to millions of people—an equity-based, proven approach for reducing child mortality. CHWs also play an active role in case follow-up and investigation in elimination settings.
PMI has supported countries in their journeys to scale up community case management since its launch, investing millions every year in community health worker training, supervision, and supplies. Despite these investments, major challenges remain in maintaining a well-supported, equipped, and fairly compensated community health workforce.
Coordinating with counterparts within and outside the U.S. government, PMI champions national efforts extend the reach and range of community health services and to finance, professionalize, and institutionalize community health worker programs as an integral part of the formal health system:
- PMI scales up community-based models of care that go further to reach the unreached with malaria testing and treatment. These approaches will vary according to the local context and may include the expansion of malaria community case management beyond young children to include patients of all ages and proactive visits by community health workers to bring testing and treatment to the household.
- PMI catalyzes funder and host-government investment, through both advocacy and provision of direct support of payment for community health workers for the first time, in these essential cadres and work to abolish the pay gap for women working on the frontlines.
- PMI invests in supply chains, protective equipment, training, supervision, and regular communication between community health workers and clinic staff.
- PMI strengthens health management information systems to collect disaggregated community-level data for use by CHWs and at all levels of the health systems.
Stories From the Field
Nurturing Health and Hope: A Nurse’s Dedication to Malaria Prevention and Maternal Care in Nigeria
Pregnant women and their babies can be at increased risk for malaria complications. Monica Akyok, a dedicated nurse at one of Nigeria’s health centers, improves the health of pregnant women and their babies by combining malaria treatment and prevention services with prenatal care.
The Power of Prevention: Seasonal Campaigns Shield Kids from Malaria
Children under the age of five living in sub-Saharan Africa make up the majority of malaria cases and deaths globally. They are especially at risk during the rainy season when malaria-carrying mosquitoes flourish. Community health workers in countries such as Cameroon, Mali, and Niger work hard to deliver lifesaving preventive medicine to keep children safe.
Bridging the Gap: Making Sure Community Health Workers in Sierra Leone Have the Tools to do Their Jobs
Being a Community Health Worker in a remote area can mean you are on call 24-hours a day and often travel long distances to provide lifesaving care. A little support for these workers can go a long way, particularly for those dedicated to their communities, like Dinkie Kalie Marah in Sierra Leone.
Researchers and Donors Collaborate to Ensure the Fight Against Malaria is Informed by Quality Data
]: Without timely and reliable data on confirmed malaria cases, it is difficult for those leading the fight against malaria to determine where and how to focus resources or measure the impact of activities. The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and African researchers have come together to assess the accuracy of malaria surveillance data so that national malaria programs have the information they need to protect populations and save lives.
