Community health workers (CHWs) in our Ziniaré learning site in Burkina Faso continued to hit progressive targets in Q3. For example, monthly under-5 treatments or referrals per CHW doubled from 8 in Q1 to 16 in Q3. Performance drivers included regular CHW supervision that improved motivation and addressed knowledge gaps, as well as monthly data reviews with the health facilities.

That said, continued challenges with data flow limited full reporting on all indicators and our ability to manage some aspects of performance. We have seconded tech experts to the MoH to address this. We also drafted MoH guidelines for the integration of mHealth into integrated community case management (iCCM), which will help integrate digitalization into service delivery standards.

High malaria incidence in Q3 resulted in increased use of medicines, highlighting the need for an early warning system to anticipate commodity shortages. We are successfully strengthening supply chain management at the CHW level and have put mechanisms in place to improve CHW stock by providing buffer stocks to the district.

In Q4, we hope to expand to the entire district, adding nearly 500 CHWs if the data flow issues are resolved, and are introducing family planning services into the service package.