Living Goods seeks to drive lasting impact in community health—saving and improving millions of lives across the developing world. Despite decades of effort and billions spent on traditional aid, millions of children will still die this year from mostly preventable causes. The world is short at least seven million trained, equipped, and supported health providers who can help solve the problem. When properly stocked and supported, community health workers (CHWs) can provide a critical link to essential health services for millions of families.

The Living Goods Solution

Living Goods recruits, trains, and manages networks of entrepreneurial women to become CHWs, delivering health education and services door-to-door in their communities. The model leverages one integrated platform to address the most pressing child and maternal health needs at the community level: malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, pregnancy and newborn care, family planning, and under-nutrition. Living Goods’ CHWs earn a small, motivating income from the sales of products and performance-based incentive payments while improving the health of their neighbors.

Why Kenya?

In Kenya, where 75 percent of the population lives in rural areas, there are just two doctors for every 10,000 people. Families often lack access to a health worker when they need one. This can be especially dangerous for vulnerable populations including pregnant mothers and young children. As a result, less than 70 percent of births are attended by a skilled health worker, and 52 out of every 1,000 children will die before they reach their fifth birthday.

To change this reality, Living Goods helps strengthen existing government CHWs, transforming them into high-impact, and compensated frontline health workers. Working within the country’s national community health plans, Living Goods works closely with national and local partners, ensuring that services are aligned with government priorities and integrated with reporting systems. By the end of 2018, Living Goods will support over 2,600 CHWs serving over 2,000,000 people across Kenya.

Why Living Goods Works

Best-In-Class Performance Management

Living Goods provides CHWs with three weeks of initial training plus monthly in-service education. Living Goods sets clear monthly targets and tracks performance in real-time using its mobile data platform. Living Goods provides tailored coaching and support to drive performance.

Smart Mobile Tools

Living Goods equips its CHWs with an Android phone that helps them accurately diagnose childhood illnesses, register and support pregnant women, and follow up with customers. Staff sees real-time performance data on every CHW on any device and use analytics dashboards to drive better performance and impact.

Performance-based Pay

Living Goods’ CHWs do not work as volunteers or salaried staff. They are empowered entrepreneurs who earn an income by distributing impactful products and services in their community.

Low-Cost, High-Impact

Living Goods generates revenue that pays for the products, a retail margin that provides motivating income for the CHW, and wholesale margins that cover a portion of operating costs. This enables Living Goods to be exceptionally cost-effective, reducing child mortality by 27 percent at a cost of less than $2 per person per year.

Always In-Stock Supply Chain

Frequent stock outs represent one of the biggest challenges for public health systems. Living Goods branches and CHWs are always in stock on essential medicines. Inventory is tracked electronically and restocked regularly.