illions 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 hardest-to-reach children. At the heart of these systems, community health workers are building trust and helping families make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Community health systems also play an essential role in achieving global health security by supporting pandemic preparedness and emergency response, and reducing the health impacts of climate change.
Investing in community health is a cost-effective approach to healthcare. It is estimated that in sub-Saharan Africa alone, the roughly $2 billion needed to strengthen the community health system could generate over $21 billion in economic benefits, mostly from healthier populations, increased productivity and job creation, particularly for women.