REACH initiative

Our Resilient and Empowered African Community Health (REACH) initiative, in partnership with Africa CDC, aims to improve the health of communities across Africa by scaling up effective, people-centred and integrated community health workforces and systems.

About REACH

Millions of people across Africa cannot access the health services they need due to a lack of availability or affordability, resulting in unnecessary suffering and avoidable deaths.

Community health workforces already play a crucial role in many African countries' health systems. The REACH initiative aims to scale up, train, support and better integrate community health workforces within public health systems to help bridge the healthcare gap across the continent.

Together with Africa CDC, we are supporting African Union member states at the continental, national, subnational andmost importantlycommunity level to build sustainable primary health care by:

  • Selecting, recruiting, inducting, training and deploying community health workers.
  • Providing safety equipment such as personal protective equipment (PPE), first aid kits and insurance.
  • Building the capacity of Ministries of Health, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other in-country partners through technical and advocacy support.
  • Improving community engagement approaches and community-led accountability systems to build trust and increase uptake of services.
  • Running cost-effectiveness exercises and creating solid investment cases for community health workforces with modelling for financial sustainability.

What do we want to achieve?

More information

An Egypt Red Crescent Society health worker performs a health check on a girl in a mobile health clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why are community health workers so important?

A nurse from the Somali Red Crescent Society performs a health check up on a woman from a rural community in Somaliland during the drought in 2017

Where is REACH active?

Tunisian Red Crescent volunteers respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, using bicycles to distribute relief items and cash assistance

What funding is needed?

Recent articles about the Reach Initiative

Donors