Community health volunteers

GENEVA/NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, 13 March 2024 – The number of children who died before their fifth birthday has reached a historic low, dropping to 4.9 million in 2022, according to the latest estimates released today by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). “Behind these numbers lie the stories of midwives…

Nurse preparing a vaccine UNICEF/U.S. CDC/UNI408803/Hiller Whenever Dynnhyfer de Souza helps to protect the health of a child, it has a profound impact on her. “I get emotional when people line up to be vaccinated by me,” says the nursing technician who lives in the Brazilian city of Baturité, Ceará. “They say I have a light hand, which is very…, On average, across different routine vaccines, Brazil is bouncing back and recovering, The situation in Brazil reflects some of the trends that we’re seeing globally when it comes to making sure that children are protected from potentially deadly diseases with the routine immunizations they need to live healthy lives.   New data from UNICEF and WHO reveals that after the largest sustained decline in routine immunization in a…, Reaching children in the city that’s the gateway to the Amazon rainforest, The latest global data reveals that during 2022 there were some positive trends, including a 2.5 million reduction in the number of zero-dose children worldwide. A zero-dose child is one that has not received a single dose of a diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccine. But the reality is that about one in five children are still zero-dose or under-…, Hard-to-reach riverside communities in Abaetetuba are getting access to essential health care services, The Active Vaccination Search initiative has also been operating in the municipality of Abaetetuba, in northern Brazil, which is formed by 72 islands.  A ferry boat full of passengers on the river. UN0846719, The team is carrying out a 16-day mission serving the medical and vaccination needs of people living in riverine communities., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/ UN0846719/Hiller Community Health Agent Dene Maria Rodrigues André, a resident of the community of Caripetuba River, arrives by boat at the Basic River Health Unit to support the vaccination of the population in Abaetetuba, Pará state, Brazil. UN0846706, The region is made up of 72 islands and is among the four municipalities UNICEF Brazil is carrying out the pilot programme., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/UN0846706/Hiller nurse holding up a sleeve of syringes UN0846672, To provide healthcare to the riverside populations in Abaetetuba, the municipality has a Basic River Health Unit, which visits each community. Nursing Technician Rosimary Bailão da Costa inspects a sleeve of syringes onboard the Basic River Health Unit., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/UN0846672/Hiller Three health workers carrying cooler boxes with vaccines. UN0846708, Community members receive vaccines and have access to doctors, dentists, and nurses every two months, when the Basic River Health Unit health workers visit., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/ UN0846708/Hiller Community health workers traveling by boat to reach families. UN0846680, Through this project, a significant amount of focus is placed on locating children under 5 years of age who are either behind on their vaccination schedule or are zero-dose. Here, Community Health Agent Dene Maria Rodrigues André (second row, right) accompanies the Pinheiro family from their home to the Basic River Health Unit barge for…, UNICEF/U.S. CDC/ UN0846680/Hiller A young girl receives a vaccination in her arm. UN0846695, Deisiane Pinheiro, 8, receives a vaccine on the Basic River Health Unit barge in the community of Caripetuba River in Abaetetuba., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/UN0846695/Hiller A ferry boat full of passengers on the river. Community Health Agent Dene Maria Rodrigues André, a resident of the community of Caripetuba River, arrives by boat at the Basic River Health Unit to support the vaccination of the population in Abaetetuba, Pará state, Brazil. nurse holding up a sleeve of syringes Three…, Childhood immunization is starting to recover and this is what needs to happen next, A young girl looks down at her arm while receiving a vaccination. Rosinaldo, 6, is held by her mother, Ivana Rodrigues Cordeiro, while being vaccinated by Nursing Technician Rosimary Bailão da Costa during a vaccination clinic in the community of Caripetuba River in Abaetetuba, Pará state, Brazil. Immunization initiatives like the Active…

In every corner of the globe, community health workers – the majority of whom are women - are key to the success of vaccination and primary care health services. We know that when health services are designed and delivered by members of the communities they serve, they’re far more likely to prove successful. If we’re going to reach children from…, As community health workers, women are so often on the frontline , Globally, female community health workers are working tirelessly to reach out to communities and immunize children, in addition to providing other essential primary health care services. Kamala, Maria, Sadiya and Bahareh are among the remarkable community health workers who bring essential services to children and mothers in Nepal, Ecuador,…, A global shortage in community health workers is a gender issue, In most parts of the world, community health workers are often low-paid and denied opportunities for training and professional growth. And we know that most community health workers globally are women. Furthermore, although they form the bulk of the health workforce, women have long been underrepresented in leadership roles.   Women make up nearly…, These are the steps we need to take to empower community health workers and set them up for success , It’s imperative that community health workers are provided with good and regular pay, and decent working conditions. That’s the minimum needed to recognize their dedication and invaluable contributions. Some of the other steps that need to be taken to ensure that community health workers are equipped to deliver to their full potential include:…, It’s crucial that we empower community health workers to succeed and thrive in their work, Nurse Parvina Khaydarova (front left) and Dilbar Boltaeva (front right), who is a physician, make house calls to vaccinate children in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Nurse Parvina Khaydarova (front left) and Dilbar Boltaeva (front right), who is a physician, make house calls to vaccinate children in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. As we’ve learned during the COVID…

This implementation support guidance presents principles for a national, georeferenced Community Health Worker Master List (CHWML) and a seven-step process for generating, sharing and maintaining such list in a registry. Each step includes a decision checklist and key considerations for planning and implementation. The guide also includes tools to…

NEW YORK/ GENEVA, 9 September 2020– The number of global under-five deaths dropped to its lowest point on record in 2019 – down to 5.2 million from 12.5 million in 1990, according to new mortality estimates released by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social…

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 15 July 2020 – The World Health Organization and UNICEF warned today of an alarming decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world. This is due to disruptions in the delivery and uptake of immunization services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to new data by WHO and UNICEF , these…

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 22 May 2020 – COVID 19 is disrupting life-saving immunization services around the world, putting millions of children – in rich and poor countries alike – at risk of diseases like diphtheria, measles and polio. This stark warning comes from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance ahead of the Global…

SUVA, 28 November 2019: UNICEF is supporting the Governments of Samoa, Fiji and the Kingdom of Tonga to respond to the current measles outbreak in the Pacific region. As of 28 November, almost 300,000 vaccines and medical supplies have been delivered to reach those populations most at-risk in Samoa, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, Vanuatu, Cook…

Millions of children and mothers across the world lack access to essential health services. Compounding threats like poverty, insecurity, climate change, poor nutrition and inaccessible social services are preventing millions of children from surviving and thriving. Community health systems are essential for bringing critical services to the…, UNICEF’s response, UNICEF strengthens and scales up community health systems to deliver comprehensive care to remote communities and respond to humanitarian crises around the world. We work across sectors to build country-driven, resilient community health systems that are supported by well-trained community health workers. Our approach integrates service delivery…, UNICEF’s community health programmes in brief, We focus on increasing and aligning investments for community health in response to country priorities by mobilizing political momentum, galvanizing partnerships and enhancing global, regional and country level coordination.  We work collaboratively to support countries in integrating community health programmes into national health systems to…, Resources, Community Health Planning and Costing Tool This handbook helps managers develop effective, sustainable and comprehensive community health services. Community Health Roadmap Learn more about this global collaboration to scale primary care at the community level. Strengthening Primary Health Care through Community Health Workers: Investment Case and…, More from UNICEF

NEW YORK/ VANCOUVER, 3 June 2019 –  More than 5 million families across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean spend over 40 per cent of their non-food household expenses on maternal health services every year, UNICEF said today in a new analysis on maternal health. Nearly two-thirds of these households, or around 3 million, are in Asia…

Declaration of Astana charts course to achieve universal health coverage

A renewed commitment to primary health care to achieve universal health coverage