Community Health Workers

Preservice Education of Community Health Extension Workers, Nurses, and Midwives in Nigeria

Using a modified version of the CapacityPlus Bottlenecks and Best Buys approach, CapacityPlus assessed 19 institutions training targeted health cadres. The intent was to find areas where support by CapacityPlus could assist Nigerian training institutions to maximize the number of newly trained health workers produced between August 2012 and October 2013. Based on the findings, the assessment team recommended six possible activities for CapacityPlus support to schools of midwifery and health technology. (The project subsequently acted on these recommendations in close collaboration with Nigerian stakeholders.)

Tools, Evidence, and Research Gaps for More Effective Community Health Worker Performance and Productivity

This presentation guided an interactive roundtable discussion at the CapacityPlus knowledge-sharing and dissemination event, Supporting Country-Led Efforts to Recruit and Retain Health Workers and Improve Their Productivity, held on February 18, 2014, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

This series of one-minute videos features health workers around the world who speak from the heart about their jobs. CapacityPlus created this series to highlight how the project places health workers at the center of its efforts to address the global health workforce shortage.

Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly recognized as a critical link in improving access to services and achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals. Given the financial and human resources constraints in developing countries, CHWs are expected to do more without necessarily receiving the needed support to do their jobs well. This article in Human Resources for Health presents policy-makers and program managers with key considerations for a model to improve the work environment as an important approach to increase CHW productivity and, ultimately, the effectiveness of community-based strategies.