COMMUNITY LED CARE
OUR MODEL
RECRUIT
The Ministry of Health and its partners recruit community health workers(CHWs). Candidates must be 18-50 years old, have at least a sixth grade education, and demonstrate basic literacy and numeracy skills.
TRAIN
Once selected, CHWs undergo a series of training sessions of approximately 60 hours each week to gain new skills and receive coaching from a clinical supervisor.
EQUIP
CHWs are kept consistently stocked with the essential medications and supplies they need to deliver lifesaving healthcare.
MANAGE
CHWs receive twice-monthly supervision and coaching from a trained nurse, Physician’s Assistant, or midwife who is based at the nearest clinic.
PAY
In recognition of their life saving work, CHWs receive a monthly monetary incentive for the 20 hours of work they are expected to perform each week.
In partnership with local and national leaders, we deliver effective community-based primary healthcare for mothers and children under 5.
Imagine your infant daughter, Ouli, wakes up one morning with a fever. You are concerned, but the nearest health post is 10 km away. This is not an anomaly for the people living in Senegal’s most remote communities.
Now imagine that Ousmane, one of our community health workers, visited your baby at your home. You know Ousmane and his family because they live near you. You send someone to grab Ousmane so he can come take a look at Ouli. If your daughter does not improve, Ousmane will work with his supervisor Madame Sall, a nurse who will help your child at the Nganda maternity clinic or refer her to a hospital.
YOU JUST GOT YOUR PERIOD, BUT YOU HAVE $10 LEFT FOR THE WEEK. DO YOU BUY GROCERIES OR TAMPONS?
For 17 million people in Senegal, it’s not hypothetical. Menstrual health inequity is a widespread — but often overlooked — public health crisis.
Professionalized community health workers — who are equitably selected, trained, paid, supervised, and supplied — serve the daily health needs of their neighbors by delivering an integrated package of lifesaving healthcare services, including reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health.
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS PERSISTENT HEALTH AND EQUITY GAPS
In addition to supporting community health workers to deliver quality frontline healthcare, we partner with the Ministry of Health and communities to design and implement innovative solutions to address persistent health and equity gaps. This includes expanding access to quality services in areas such as nutrition and family planning.