Kigali, Rwanda – March 6, 2025 – At the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) 2025, Living Goods, Africa Frontline First, and VillageReach underscored the urgent need for sustainable and equitable financing for Community Health Workers (CHWs) to strengthen Africa’s primary health care systems and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC).

The conference took place at a time when global funding cuts are sending shockwaves across the healthcare sector, a situation that is likely to significantly impact the work of CHWs.

Speaking at the event, Christine Namayanja—representing Living Goods’ CEO Emilie Chambert—, emphasized the critical role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Africa’s health care systems.

“Community Health Workers (CHWs) are the first, and often only, point of care for millions across Africa. Investing in CHWs is a cost-effective way to strengthen health systems, delivering high returns through healthier communities and economic empowerment especially for women, who make up most of the workforce. To achieve universal health coverage, governments and donors must prioritize sustainable CHW financing,” Christine said.

Her call to action highlights the stark reality of Africa’s health care crisis. The region bears over 24% of the global disease burden but has access to only 3% of the world’s health workers and less than 1% of financial resources.

The consequences are devastating—nearly 5 million children under age five die each year, primarily from preventable diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria. Of these, 2.9 million deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where 1 in 13 children die before their fifth birthday according to WHO. CHWs serve as the first line of defense against these preventable deaths, yet they remain severely underfunded and under-supported.

Despite their life-saving role, millions of CHWs are unpaid or underpaid.  Innovative financing models are critical for ensuring that CHWs are adequately supported in their roles within primary health care systems.

“Fostering radical collaboration with governments, alongside robust partnerships with others, to explore and implement sustainable funding models for CHW programs is critical to address financing of CHW needs, such as provision of supplies, training and additional recruitment; improved financing for CHWs strengthens their effectiveness in delivering essential health services to under-reached communities, and ultimately transforming health systems across Africa” – Ndasowa Chitule, Country Director, VillageReach Malawi.

Overreliance on short-term donor funding has made CHW programs highly vulnerable, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable, government-led financing models. This need has become even more pressing in light of recent global aid cuts.

“The way our community health program is financed is like looking smart in a borrowed dress, when the owner takes it, you are left empty. It is time we took ownership and fund our community health programs,” said Dr. Samson Mndolo, Principal Secretary MOH, Malawi, who also attended the conference in Kigali.

Global health leaders and policymakers at AHAIC emphasized the importance of increased domestic health financing, gender-responsive funding mechanisms, and the formal integration of CHWs into national health systems.

“We talk about financing and sustainability as if they mean the same thing, sustainability goes beyond financing, it should include political prioritization, implementation sustainability based on the health pillars and collaborative partnerships.” Dr. Angela Gichaga, AFF Co-Executive Director

Dr. Addis Tamire from AMREF Health Africa in Ethiopia concluded by urging governments, funders, partners, and stakeholders to intensify their efforts and commitments. He said:

“It’s time to fully integrate CHW programs into national health budgets. This isn’t just a nice idea, it’s essential for long-term success. We need to put our money where our mouth is. That means increasing funding for community health workers through national budgets.”  He added, “But it’s not just about throwing money at the problem. We also need to get innovative with how we fund these programs. By identifying and implementing innovative and stable ways to finance CHWs, we can ensure they’ll be there for communities for years to come.”

For media inquiries, please contact:-

Ruth Chitwa – rchitwa@livinggoods.org, +254 707 364 739

Euloge Ishimwe – eishimwe@livinggoods.org, +254 735 437 906

Hope Ngwira – hope.ngwira@villagereach.org +265 992 139 720

About Living Goods

Living Goods is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives at scale by supporting digitally empowered community health workers who deliver essential healthcare to families in need. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with operations in Kenya, Uganda, and Burkina Faso, Living Goods partners with governments and stakeholders to ensure that CHWs have access to digital technology, medical supplies, supervision, and fair compensation, enabling them to provide high-quality, cost-effective health services. Learn more at www.livinggoods.org.

About VillageReach

VillageReach transforms health care delivery to reach everyone. We are driven by a vision of a world where each person has the health care needed to thrive. VillageReach works with governments, the private sector, partners and communities to build responsive primary health care systems that deliver health products and services to the most under-reached. As a locally driven and globally connected organization working across Africa, VillageReach’s primary goal is to reduce inequities in access to quality primary health care for 350 million people by 2030. Learn more at villagereach.org