Where We Work | Program
Kwitanda Community Health Program
From 2008-2019, VillageReach led a program to increase the reach of health services at the community and health center levels by building capacity of community health workers.
VillageReach transitions Kwitanda Community Health Project to MaiKhanda Trust
March 30, 2019 – VillageReach and MaiKhanda Trust today announced that MaiKhanda will assume responsibility for the Kwitanda Community Health Project (KCHP) in the Balaka district of Malawi. MaiKhanda’s community-based approach to health care will sustain and build on the progress achieved in maternal...
A New Beginning for the Kwitanda Community Health Project
“A reason, a season or a lifetime” is a saying that I can appreciate, and with the transition of the Kwitanda Community Health Project (KCHP) to Maikhanda Trust it was a season for VillageReach. In 2008, VillageReach began its journey, alongside the JBJ Foundation,...
CHW Stories from Kwitanda
Between 2008 and 2019, VillageReach led efforts in the Kwitanda catchment area in Malawi to strengthen the health system at the community and facility levels by increasing health worker capacity, implementing cost-effective interventions, supporting preventative health programs, implementing community-based treatment programs, and improving communication...
Pemphero’s Story – A Day in the Life of a Health Surveillance Assistant
As a Community Health Facilitator for VillageReach in Malawi, I see the impact of Community Case Management (CMM), a strategy that promotes the early care-seeking behavior, assessment, diagnosis, recognition, and appropriate treatment for childhood illnesses at the community-level. Over the last few years, CCM...
Community-Led Interventions Saving Lives in Kwitanda
By Saiti Chikwapulo I believe the work of VillageReach has saved lives. Our work, supported by generous donors, has changed the way an entire community has approached health and healthcare services by providing access to safe water, improvement of hygiene practices, and high uptake...
Evaluating our Progress and Planning for the New Year in Malawi
In 2012, the Kwitanda Community Health Project expanded into new programmatic areas, increasing its reach by developing new maternal and newborn health activities, establishing the Kwitanda Economic Development Initiative and starting work on filling gaps in HIV care in the community. As we start...
VillageReach launches Maternal and Neonatal Health Project in Kwitanda, Malawi
In Malawi, more than eight in every one thousand women die from maternity-related causes, while almost 90 percent of childhood deaths occur during the first year of life. Malawi women have a 1 in 36 chance of dying during childbirth. Reducing the maternal mortality...Background
In 2008, VillageReach introduced the Kwitanda Community Health Project (KCHP) within the Kwitanda catchment area of Balaka District in Malawi. The original goal of the project was based on a needs assessment and aimed to reduce incidence of malaria and diarrhea specifically. A 2014 evaluation of the project revealed despite intervention incidence rates for these diseases remained stable. It also uncovered people were not seeking treatment for these diseases, primarily because of distance to the nearest health facility. Therefore, we expanded our scope of work.
The last mile in Equateur, DRC. (Photo Credit: Henry Sempangi Sanyulye)
How It Works
- Increasing health worker capacity
- Supporting preventative health programs
- Implementing community-based treatment programs
- Improving communication systems between community health workers and health facilities
Resources
2015 Kwitanda Evaluation
2014 Kwitanda Evaluation
Kwitanda 2012
Kwitanda 2011
Kwitanda 2010
We are proud of the strong local partnerships we have built over the past decade that enabled us to improve the Kwitanda community’s access to quality health care. We are confident that MaiKhanda is the best partner to carry on the relationships and ensure KCHP continues to develop as a model implementation of Malawi’s National Community Health Strategy.”
– Emily Bancroft, VillageReach President
Program Impact
Kwitanda’s impact between 2008 and 2019 included:
Improved access to health services
-
- In 2018, nearly 96% of women deliver their babies in a health facility, compared to 91% of women in rural areas nationally.
- In 2018, nearly 76% of women in Kwitanda receive four antenatal care services, compared to 49% of women in other rural areas nationally.
Improved health seeking behavior
-
- 96% of children with symptoms of acute respiratory infection sought treatment at a health facility compared to 77% of children in other rural areas
- 96% of Kwitanda women who delivered in the last two years reported that they had attended a postnatal visit at a health facility, compared to 48% of women in other rural areas
Partners
Government
- The Malawi Ministry of Health and Population
- Balaka District Health Office
- Kwitanda Health Center
Technical Partners
- MaiKhanda Trust
Donors
- Johnson and Johnson Foundation
- Seattle International Foundation
Related Global Impact
See the latest updates from our work to improve access to quality healthcare in the world’s most underserved communities.