Community Health Mobilization Approach Sample Clauses

Community Health Mobilization Approach. Good health begins in the home, where caregivers of children make up the largest non- formal workforce in the health system. To influence what happens at home requires a comprehensive approach to behavior change communication, one that engages multiple levels of community organization and decision making for a common goal: healthy children and families. Relationships at the community level are developed through informal meetings and by demonstrating respect in frequent visits, transparency, and involving community members to identify and address community problems. Program officers and promoters will lead the community mobilization effort, engaging all stakeholders at project start up. In addition, they will, through the CHWs, relate to community leaders. The project will recruit mobilization officers who have experience working with communities, and who possess excellent communication and facilitation skills. The district level project staff will all be nationals fluent in Kinyarwanda and with a solid understanding of the socio-cultural and political milieu in which they work. Relationships will be developed and nurtured through open and transparent communication with all stakeholders and partners, and concerted effort will be given to building a strong sense of community among the CHWs and program staff. Through CHWs, promoters, nurses, and project officers, the village leaders will be educated about the purpose of the new program, and the advantages it will bring to the community. Village leaders will be involved in such activities as CHW selection, planning meetings, regular monitoring and evaluation activities, and program implementation. Village leaders will be consulted concerning program direction, and will receive verbal and follow-up written reports of the community health information data, highlighting the program’s progress and results, and overall impact on maternal and child health. Central to the mobilization strategy for promotion of C-IMCI and key family practices is a vast network of volunteer CHWs, one per umudugudugudugu, the smallest grouping of households in Rwanda’s new system of civil organization. Each CHW is trained in all project interventions to promote key family practices for C-IMCI in addition to assisting with case management and treatment at community level per MoH guidelines. CHWs are trained and supervised in groups that meet monthly in their sector with either health center nurses or project promoters. At each meeting th...