Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Community Health Project (CHP)

last updated Aug 3, 2012

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Invention and Technological Ideas Development Organization (ITIDO)
Implementation Partner(s): 
Dimagi, and University of Washington
Legal Status: 
Private (unspecified)
Year Launched: 
2010
Stage: 
Existing/expansion stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
Bottom 20%, 20-60% (lower to lower-middle)

Funding

Additional Source(s) of Funding: 
Donor
Funders: 
Dimagi, IDRC, Microsoft Research

Technology

Technology Used: 
Phones › Apps/Software, Phones › Internet, Phones › SMS/MMS (Text Message)
Technology Purpose: 
Extending Geographic Access, Facilitating Patient Communications › General Health Education, Improving Data Management, Improving Diagnosis and Treatment
Technology Partner(s): 
Dimagi

Scale

Personnel Employed: 
50-99
Number of Clients Served: 
5000
Other Measures of Scale: 
CHWs recently formed an association, Miyuji Ipagala Chamwino (MIC), named for the three regions they serve. CHWs give 1/5 of their weekly earnings to MIC, which gives out loans to start small businesses.
Summary: 

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are equipped with mobile phones running CommCare, a software application that tracks activity and provides electronic job support during visits.

Program goals/rationale: 

CHP’s goal is to provide the resources and organizational structure that empower communities to solve the problems that they find most pressing.

Key program components: 

The Invention and Technological Ideas Development Organization (ITIDO) works hand-in-hand with the community to design CommCare modules and to develop the overall community health project. The most vital links to the community are the CHWs; one indicator of the project’s success is the CHWs enthusiasm and commitment. They recently formed an association, Miyuji Ipagala Chamwino (MIC), named for the three regions they serve. CHWs give 1/5 of their weekly earnings to MIC, which gives out loans to start small businesses.

This project currently supports 50 Community Health Workers (CHWs), each serving about 100 households in Dodoma. A small staff of project managers and nurses supervise from a local office. Each CHW receives a small weekly salary based on how many household visits she completes. CommCare contains checklists and simple screening algorithms to reinforce the CHW’s training. It also contains images and audio clips for CHWs to show and play for their clients to help better communicate health messages.

Mobile Technology: This project helps drive the development of the open source CommCare Platform, which is being used to strengthen community health programs in Zambia, Mexico, South Africa, India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Dimagi, Inc has spearheaded the development of CommCare and is continually adding new features. In addition to the phone-based software, CommCare provides supervisory and data management tools. As soon as the CHW enters network coverage, data from every household visit is sent to a centralized server called CommCareHQ. CommCareHQ relays information in real-time to supervisors, sends out alerts and reports to managers, and can be linked to health information systems in the Ministry of Health.

Community Engagement: ITIDO works hand-in-hand with the community to design CommCare modules and to develop the overall community health project. CHWs increase health intervention through community health promotion and education provision, and encourage clients/community to attend nearby health facilities.

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