Where We Work | Program
Supply Chain for Community Health Workers (SC4CHWs) in Liberia
VillageReach is supporting Last Mile Health and The Liberia Ministry of Health in strengthening key areas of the system to ensure supplies get to where they are needed at the last mile.
The CHA Kit: Ensuring Liberia’s Community Health Workers Have the Commodities They Need
There is a Liberian adage that says, “Water can’t pass by a hole.” Unfortunately, in providing Community health workers (CHWs) the essential medicines and health commodities they need to do their jobs, we still encounter many systemic “holes”. The “water” can’t pass by, and...
Enhancing Liberia's Community Health Assistant Supply Chain
For the community health workers (CHWs) of Bomi County, Liberia, timely access to health products and supplies means they can serve their communities. In Liberia, where nearly 30 percent of people live at least 5 km from the closest health facility, it can also...
A New Digital Solution to Support Liberia’s Community Health Workers
I looked over the edge of the bridge and then back to my team. Looking at the faces of my colleagues, it was clear they would prefer to turn back. Who could blame them? We had been traveling for hours through rough rainforest terrain...
Fresh impetus for community health worker empowerment at CHW2023
“The moment before us is too important for us not to act now.” Former Liberian president, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, opened the 3rd International Community Health Worker (CHW) Symposium 2023 with a clarion call to recognize the current and potential contributions of CHWs...
Closing the Vision Gap With Liberia's Community Health Assistant Workforce
Imagine a life fundamentally changed by a $1 investment. For over 800 million people around the world, there’s a critical tool to sustain their livelihood that remains out of reach: a pair of non-prescription reading glasses.
Designing solutions that meet health worker needs
Solving supply chain challenges, especially for community health workers (CHWs), requires a people-centered approach. This means solutions must be co-developed with key stakeholders, and a continuous feedback loop on performance and impact is critical to success. At VillageReach we use data and feedback from...
Delivering health products on the road less traveled in Liberia: Part Two
Originally posted on medium.com. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are often the only link to primary health care services in under-reached communities around the world. This is the finale in a series (see part one here) that shows how strengthening supply chains supports CHWs, known as...
Delivering health supplies on the road less traveled in Liberia: Part One
In Liberia, Community Health Workers (CHWs) are often the only link to primary health care services for the most under-reached communities. To support them, the Liberia Ministry of Health, Last Mile Health and VillageReach are working together to make sure they have access to...
Building Stronger Community Health Systems Together
Originally posted on medium.com. In rural and remote communities around the world, people have to walk for hours or even days to reach the nearest clinic to access services and medicines, which may not even be available when they arrive. A people-centered health system...
Arming Community Health Workers for Battle: A Quantification Tool and Process to Support Equipment for CHWs in Liberia
A global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) is affecting health workers including Community Health Workers (CHWs) in low-income countries. These health and community workers are the frontlines of defence against infectious diseases including COVID-19 and need these PPEs to protect themselves before protecting...Background
Community Health Workers do not have a consistent supply of the full-range of health products they need to provide appropriate care at the community level. In 2019, VillageReach partnered with the Liberian Ministry of Health (MoH) and Last Mile Health to connect Community Health Workers, known as Community Health Assistants (CHAs) in Liberia, to the country’s public health supply chain. The program set out to improve product availability at the community level for hardest to reach areas in three counties—Rivercess, Brand Bassa and Grand Gedeh. As part of the Government of Liberia’s National Community Health Assistant Program this program aims to: strengthen government capacity to sustain improvements in the CHA supply chain; transform how medicines and supplies get to CHAs; improve data quality and visibility needed to manage CHA supply chains; and achieve sustainable impact at scale. In 2021 with a $1.5 million investment from the Global Fund our work in Liberia is expanding both geographically and programmatically. The initial project will be carried out in two counties, Bomi and Margibi.
How It Works
- Increased data availability: percent of health facilities reporting CHA supply status
- Increased supply chain expertise: difference between pre- and post-training assessments
- Increased use of data for supply chain decision-making: % of counties holding quarterly supply chain meetings where data is used to create action items
- Improve on-time delivery of products to CHAs: % of CHAs who received at least one resupply visit during the month
- Improve supply availability for CHAs: % of CHAs with life-saving commodities in stock
Resources
The Republic of Liberia Supply Chain Master Plan 2023 – 2028
Human resources & community health systems Application of the PtD supply chain management theory of change in Liberia
SC4CHWs: A New Approach in Liberia
Integrating Eyeglasses into Community Health Supply Chains in Liberia
Supplies at the Last Mile: Equipping CHWs in Liberia
Arming Community Health Workers For Battle
Supply Chain for Community Health Worker Program (SC4CHW) Overview
Program Impact
Since the project began in 2019, we have seen:
- 77% increase on data reporting by CHWs through LMIS.
- 18% increase in Malaria cases treated within the first 24 hours by CHWs.
- 43% increase in adherence to stock management best practices.
- 22% increase in coordination meetings between MoH and Community Health Teams at the national level
- Consistent improvement in the technical supply chain capacity of facility staff and supervisors across all technical areas.
Partners
Government
- The Liberia Ministry of Health
Technical Partners
- Last Mile Health
- Plan International
- World Food Programme
Donors
- UBS
- Global Fund
Related Global Impact
See the latest updates from our work to improve access to quality healthcare in the world’s most underserved communities.