Last Mile Health

For years, worsening eyesight meant Mathewos Alaro struggled to read and teach--keeping him from fulfilling his work as a religious leader in his community in Ethiopia. But after being screened for vision problems by a community health worker trained through Last Mile Health's new non-communicable disease training module, and fitted with glasses from RestoringVision, Mathewos can read easily again. "These eyeglasses have given me back my purpose," he says.

We're honored to be featured by Innovations in Healthcare alongside 4 other grantees making an impact in global health. Read the full post here: https://bit.ly/4dRTMf6

Liberia's Ministry of Health has an ambitious goal for the new malaria vaccine: by 2027, fully vaccinate 80% of children 15 months or older in remote communities. Community health workers and supervisors are key to achieving this: https://bit.ly/3WQNq8E

Last Mile Health was honored to share the findings of our Sierra Leone Exemplars in Global Health research alongside our Ministry of Health partners at a national dissemination in Freetown, examining the implementation of the National Community Health Worker Program and sharing lessons learned for stronger policy and practice in Sierra Leone and beyond.

#ProCHW Brenda Chikokoto grew up in a remote community with a lack of access to clean water. "Many children were sick because of this," she says. Today, she provides care in a similar community in rural Malawi--and changes health outcomes: "I feel so good supporting and providing the community with life-saving guidance on access to clean water and promoting positive health and sanitation behaviors." Read Brenda's story: https://bit.ly/4cEtU6w

An exciting milestone in community health sustainability: On June 30, Last Mile Health handed over the direct management of Liberia's National Community Health Program in Grand Gedeh County to the county health team, marking an important step for government ownership and toward lasting, sustainable change: https://bit.ly/4dUKTS3

Last Mile Health's new Exemplars in Global Health research findings put district health leaders, community health workers, and supervisors in the driver's seat to examine successes and challenges in implementing Sierra Leone's national community health worker program--and chart a path forward for a stronger program and better care for patients. Read more about this exciting work: https://bit.ly/4fslmky

We're grateful to our Global Health Corps fellows, Rejoice Namale and Ketema B. Zergaw, for a wonderful year supporting Last Mile Health's Malawi team as we work alongside the Ministry of Health to strengthen the community health program and improve access to quality primary care for all Malawians. Thank you, Ketema and Rejoice!

"Professional community health workers are heroes in their communities, but they need the right tools to succeed, including systems that make sure they can report and access patient data. For community health workers at Malawi's last mile, iCHIS is a game-changer." More from Last Mile Health's Tasokwa Nkhonjera on our new digital system with Malawi's Ministry of Health for #proCHWs in a video from TechChange and the Global Development Digital Forum: https://bit.ly/4fvE1fu

Insufficient and fragmented funding prevents community health workers from reaching their full potential. Learn how Last Mile Health and Africa Frontline First are working to change this: https://bit.ly/3zFzruu