Community Health Worker Programme

Why this matters in Malawi

Neno is a rural district in the south of Malawi, cut by hills and seasonal rivers, where many families farm small plots of maize and live hours on foot from the nearest health center. Distance shapes every health decision: whether to carry a feverish child to a clinic, whether a person with HIV collects their medicines each month, whether a pregnant woman reaches a facility to give birth. When rains wash out paths or a household cannot spare a day's labor, care simply does not happen.

The national system relies on Health Surveillance Assistants, salaried government workers who cover large catchment areas and carry many duties beyond home visits. Below them, much village-level health work has traditionally depended on unpaid volunteers, who drop out when their own households need them. Chronic conditions such as HIV, TB, diabetes and hypertension require regular, years-long follow-up that a busy clinic cannot provide alone. A trained neighbor who is paid to visit households, check on patients and refer early problems fills that gap.

What your gift pays for

• Monthly stipends for community health workers assigned to households in their own villages
• Initial and refresher training in screening, treatment support and recognizing danger signs
• Rain gear, bags, phones and basic supplies for daily household visits
• Supervision by senior workers who check visit quality and follow up on referrals