Made possible with the generosity of the American people
(Boston, August 12, 2016) – Last Mile Health won an Integrating Community Health (ICH) Program award funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in close collaboration with UNICEF in Liberia. The project, titled Community Health Worker Support for Advancing Liberian Livelihoods (CHWS FOR ALL), aims to build operational readiness to support the Liberia Ministry of Health’s historic National Community Health Assistant (CHA) Program.
A collection of seven awards, ICH is designed to strengthen the role of community health approaches to reduce barriers to health coverage and support national policies and implementation plans. The seven awards will contribute to USAID’s campaign to end preventable child and maternal deaths in countries across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.
With the ICH award, Last Mile Health’s CHWS FOR ALL, alongside partners including UNICEF, USAID, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the World Bank, will provide technical assistance to the Government of Liberia as it rolls out a historic community health program that intends to recruit, train and deploy approximately 4,100 community health workers and 230 clinical supervisors over the next seven years to provide care to 1.2 million Liberians who live in communities farther than 5 kilometers from a health facility.
Under the leadership of the Liberia Ministry of Health, Last Mile Health will assist in all stages of the National CHA Program’s design and implementation, including:
- Establish environmental and operational readiness at central and county level for National CHA Program launch
- Support MOH to institutionalize a National CHA Program
- Ensure continuous learning and quality improvement for National CHA Program implementation and accountability
Raj Panjabi, CEO of Last Mile Health, responded to this announcement by saying, “With the support of USAID and UNICEF and a strong network of in-country partners, the Government of Liberia, and Last Mile Health will be able to advance this lifesaving initiative in Liberia’s most remote communities – and bring healthcare to people who’ve never before had access.”
Founded by the survivors of Liberia’s civil war, Last Mile Health saves lives in the world’s most remote communities. The organization specializes in the development and management of professionalized Community Health Workers who bridge the gap between health systems and remote communities, bringing critical services to the doorsteps of people living in the last mile. Last Mile Health’s programs are implemented hand-in-hand with community members, local government officials, national policy makers, and global partners to ensure sustainable impact. Last Mile Health is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization with offices in Liberia, Boston and New York. For more information, visit www.lastmilehealth.org.