Tools to support global chw program development, improvement and collaboration

WHO's 2006 World Health Report signaled renewed interest in the contributions of community health workers (CHWs) to improving health outcomes, especially the health-related Millennium Development Goals. USAID and other donors have supported several new CHW initiatives in subsequent years. This presentation will discuss USAID-funded efforts to address three key challenges these efforts have faced, including the process of developing each of the following resources and recent results. It will also set the stage for the other presentations in the session.

Challenge #1: How do we assess and improve CHW programs? Since 2008 the USAID/Health Care Improvement project has been developing and refining the CHW Assessment and Improvement Matrix (CHW AIM). CHW AIM is a process and tool for assessment and CHW program functionality improvement. CHW AIM sets standards for program functionality in 15 components, including CHW Role, Training, Community Involvement, Country Ownership and others.

Challenge #2: What elements are critical to CHW policy and programming? A newly created tool, a program/policy decision-making support, will also be discussed. This tool focuses on guiding CHW program managers to address program design or performance problems by identifying, assessing and selecting policies and program strategies.

Challenge #3: How do we foster learning and dissemination of best practices for CHW program development? CHW Central (www.chwcentral.org) is an “online community of practice” that was created to support global CHW programs. It provides a library of resources; it also facilitates dialogues among CHW experts, practitioners, and members in interactive discussion forums.