Liberian Lawmakers Step Up for Community Health: A Bold Push Toward the Monrovia Call to Action

In a powerful demonstration of collective commitment, UNICEF Liberia, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and key stakeholders, convened a critical one-day advocacy session with the Legislative Committee on Health to The Focus: Establishing a Primary Health Legislative Caucus and Appointing a National Community Health Champion — two bold moves to strengthen domestic funding and political will for Liberia’s Primary Health Programme. This landmark effort directly advances the Monrovia Call to Action, designed to mobilize and empower community health workers to deliver essential community-based primary healthcare to reduce Liberia’s unacceptably high maternal and neonatal mortality rates and ensure “Every Mother Matters, Every Birth Counts.”

Why This Moment Matters

Liberia’s Primary Health Programme is the lifeline for thousands of families in remote and underserved areas, where access to healthcare remains a daily struggle. Community Health Assistants (CHAs) – the unsung heroes of Liberia’s health system – brave challenging conditions to deliver lifesaving care, from maternal and child health services to disease prevention and emergency response. Yet, systemic gaps in funding, policy, and infrastructure continue to hinder their impact.

The proposed Primary Health Care Legislative Caucus will be a game-changer, ensuring that Liberia’s health policies and budgets prioritize community-based care as a cornerstone of national development and continue positioning community health on the political agenda. In addition, the National Community Health Champion will amplify advocacy efforts, holding leaders accountable to the Monrovia Call to Action’s bold pledges:

• Invest in country-led community health strategies.
• Make professional CHWs the norm.
• Integrate community health workers (CHWs) into human resource and health sector plans.
• Galvanize political support.

• Track progress of the CHW programmes.

   

  A Unified Front for Change

  
  This session brought together Liberia’s most dedicated community health allies, including Last Mile Health, Partners in Health (PIH), Plan International, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Africa CDC, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Public Health Initiative Liberia (PHIL). Together, we stand behind the Ministry of Health’s vision of a Liberia where no mother dies giving life, no child perishes from preventable causes, and every community thrives through a motivated and ‘Fit-for-Purpose’ community health workforce.

   

  The Road Ahead

  
  The establishment of a Primary Health Care Legislative Caucus and the selection of a National Community Health Champion will mark a pivotal step toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But the work is just beginning. The call from all stakeholders – legislatures, policymakers, development partners, civil society, and communities is to turn pledges into progress and ensure Liberia’s health system leaves no one behind.

   

  Join the movement! Advocate. Amplify. Act.

   

  #MonroviaCallToAction

  #CommunityHealth

  #PrimaryHealth

  #LiberiaRising

  #EveryMotherMatters

  #HealthForAll