Last Mile Health’s five-year strategy launch event

“Last Mile Health is spearheading the movement to professionalize community health workers, build resilient health systems, drive more resources to community health, and ultimately transform the lives of millions of patients living in rural and remote communities. This is a daring quest whose large-scale success is not guaranteed, but it is the right and wise thing to do.“ –Dr. Olusoji Adeyi, Incoming Board Chairperson, Last Mile Health

After opening remarks from Lisha McCormick and Olusoji Adeyi, Last Mile Health’s Deputy Chief Program Officer Mallika Raghavan moderated brief discussions on the key themes and values driving our work ahead: providing deep accompaniment to governments, improving international funding flows for community health, and shifting centers of power and decision-making, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion and gender mainstreaming.

Abraham Zerihun, Last Mile Health’s Ethiopia Country Director, spoke to the demonstrated commitments of Ethiopia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Liberia to build professional community health workforces and the tailored support we offer to ensure effective and durable care.

Resources: 

• The Tyranny of Distance: A documentary about Last Mile Health in Liberia
• A new chapter: Sharing the results of our blended learning training in Ethiopia
• Blended learning to upskill Ethiopia’s community health workers

Nan Chen, Co-Executive Director of Africa Frontline First, detailed his new role and how the collaborative initiative aims to turn the vision of integrated and professionalized community health into a reality.

Resources: 

• Angela Gichaga and Nan Chen named as Co-Executive Directors of Africa Frontline First
• Nonprofits launch $100M plan to support local health work

Naa Adorkor Yawson, Last Mile Health’s Managing Director of Operational Services, offered insight into our new Ghana office and our work to sustain DEI and gender mainstreaming efforts across the organization.

Resources: 

• Accra, Ghana: A new base for Last Mile Health
• Towards a more gender-equal community health worker program: Key takeaways from the gender assessment of Liberia’s national program