Government Relations & Advocacy

Living Goods advocates globally and nationally for strong community-based primary health care by partnering with governments, civil society organizations, private sector partners, and academic institutions.

CHWs share what they do and what they need to succeed

Our partnerships help us advocate for increased access to high-quality health care, improve the diagnostics and treatments communities can access, and reduce costs—all while enabling more timely and convenient care for pregnant women and sick children, and scaling up access to other critical services such as family planning.

How do we do it

  • We work with governments, donors, and the private sector to increase financial resources allocated for primary health care, with a more concentrated focus on the community level.
  • We connect with like-minded partners through coalitions and campaigns that promote a collective goal for community health within the larger UHC agenda.
  • We partner with governments at national and local levels as well as multilateral institutions to champion the widespread adoption of effective policies, procedures, and strategies that improve the quality, efficiency, reach, and scope of health at the community level.
  • We help amplify the voices of community health workers by supporting them to advocate within their own countries, so they become digitally empowered, remunerated, supervised, and equipped with the right tools and resources to do their jobs.

Our Advocacy Partners

Global Advocacy

Our Campaign for UHC

Amref Health Africa, Aspen Management for Health, Financing Alliance for Health, the International Rescue Committee, Last Mile Health, and Living Goods launched the Communities at the Heart of Universal Health Coverage campaign at the UN General Assembly in 2018. These partners are part of a larger movement that includes UHC2030, donors, and country leaders, all working to elevate the dialogue on community health programs globally and to advocate for funding through domestic resources and international assistance.

The year-long global campaign aims to generate political will and commitment. We want to ensure that government-owned, integrated, financially sustainable, and high-quality community health programs are included in national universal health coverage (UHC) strategies. The campaign also aims to support and encourage national governments to include community-based primary care indicators in the country reports that will be delivered at the 2019 UN High-Level Meeting on UHC. We encourage countries to tie their vision for community health to the broader health system, using a framework that measures access to life-saving care for women and children and a plan for equity that ensures community health is affordable and accessible to all.

Join us as we put communities at the heart of UHC!

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Advocacy in Kenya

In Kenya, we are leveraging our deep expertise to support both the Ministry of Health and the country’s decentralized county-level governments to scale and sustain effective community health systems. With Living Goods staff directly seconded to the Ministry at national and county levels, we regularly review and provide input on technical and policy documents, collect data and advise on the strategic need for the future.

We serve on numerous national strategic committees in Kenya to raise awareness of the Living Goods approach and elevate evidence that demonstrates the impact of digitally empowered CHWs. Showcasing these successes facilitates the process of obtaining buy-in and support from partners throughout the country.

At the national level, Living Goods shares actionable knowledge and data generated through our mobile app tools with the Ministry of Health to help advocate for increased prioritization of CHWs by multilateral donors. At the county level, Living Goods works with four counties in Kenya to increase the local budgets for community health. Solid relationships with the government are essential to achieve lasting impact at scale.

To this end, we supported the Government of Kenya in developing an investment case for community health that showed a 9.4-fold return on investment for every dollar spent when factoring in both the lives saves and increased economic productivity.

Living Goods is one of just two organizations that has been granted “registration agent” status with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). Living Goods partners with the government to register households to participate in the health care system, most notably in Isiolo county. In Isiolo county, we recently launched a pilot under the government’s Big Four Agenda to drive economic and social growth, which includes achieving universal health coverage (UHC). The initiative is part of a plan to scale up NHIF coverage to reach 100 percent of the population by leveraging private sector investments and alternative financing, health budget allocations, and digital health technology to ensure the availability of medicines and medical equipment.

Advocacy in Uganda

In Uganda, Living Goods advances the knowledge, resources, and policies to help scale up and sustain community health workers (CHWs) and systems. We work closely with the Ugandan Government to prioritize the support of CHWs in national and district budgets. By providing evidence on the impact of CHWs and results-based financing programs, Living Goods encourages buy-in from both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development on community health programs that incorporate results-based financing.

Living Goods is also working closely with the government to advocate for increased data for decision-making to ultimately support and help implement more effective CHW programs. We regularly share data and knowledge on the supervision and monitoring of CHWs as well as other best practices. By demonstrating the effectiveness of CHWs, we aim to increase government, donor, and partner investment in community health.

The latest

Blog

Uganda MoH’s Director of Public Health Visits Our Learning Site

September 27, 2023

In a landmark visit, Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, the Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, visited the Bwaise, Uganda learning site. The purpose of his visit was to witness firsthand the transformative impact of digital health tools in the Kawanda community and to acknowledge the critical role played by Community Health Workers (CHWs) in extending essential healthcare services.

Blog

A Paradigm Shift in the Community Health Ecosystem in Kenya

September 26, 2023

Kenya achieved a great milestone with the recent launch of the Community Health Initiative that will see all community health workers paid a stipend and equipped to provide preventive and promotive health services for all citizens. The government's clarion call is PREVENT, PROMOTE, and PROTECT.

Blog

Kenya’s Ministry of Health Accelerates Plans to Digitize All CHWs

August 29, 2023

Living Goods supported critical elements that paved the way for the digitization of the community health workforce plans, including analysis of the digital landscape, strategy development and costing and implementation planning.

Blog

Living Goods at the Women Deliver Conference, 2023. Join Us!

July 7, 2023

This month, Living Goods will be at the Women Deliver 2023 Conference in Kigali Rwanda, July 17-20! We look forward to connecting with you and…

Blog

Advocating for Strengthened Community Health Programs

June 7, 2023

The global health community’s advocacy efforts have led to significant policy and funding advancements for community health programs in the past year. We are encouraged…

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