Key Roles of a Community Health Volunteer
Community Health Volunteers play an important role in educating the community
CHVs Key Tasks
Pregnancy & Newborn
How to recognize pregnancy danger signs
Birth preparedness and developing a birth plan
Refer pregnant mothers to ANC Clinics and ensure they attend at least 4 clinics
Early Childhood
How to take care of the sick child at home e.g. ORS administration
How to spot danger signs e.g. bulging fontanelle
Encourage service-seeking behavior in an effort to ensure children complete the immunization cycle
Conduct growth monitoring
Visit the newborn mother at home to counsel on breastfeeding, how to latch, and the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding
Encourage the use of long-term treated mosquito nets
Community Health Volunteers recording height and weight on young children at the Hopecore mobile clinic
Late Childhood (6-12 years)
Ensure the children are enrolled in school
Hygiene education for children
Encourage HPV Vaccination for 10-year-old girls
Adolescence and Youth (13-24 years)
Behavior change communication
Supply of preventive commodities such as condoms
How to seek healthcare, especially on STIs- link up with youth-friendly services
Adulthood (25-59 years)
Behavior change communication
Conduct community dialogue days where community members suggest ways to improve their community
Promote gender and health rights
Improve hygiene and sanitation by ensuring each household has a latrine and handwashing station
Referral services e.g. for those who present with a cough
Supply of preventive commodities
Ensure all clients under TB medication are taking their medication
Encourage HIV testing and use of ARVs for those tested +ve
Encourage those with chronic illnesses to join support groups
Community Health Volunteers assist with growth monitoring of children under 5 years of age
The Elderly
Refer for routine health checkups at least once each month
Advocacy e.g. to have the government pay for insurance for all people over 60
Management and rehabilitation of clinical problems i.e. home-based care
Behavior change communication to reduce harmful practices
Overall Health Promotion
Demonstrating a healthy diet for people at all stages in life in order to meet nutritional needs
Providing guidance on social capital to ensure mutual support in meeting daily needs as well as coping with shocks in life
Encouraging demand for health care and social entitlements as citizens
Observing health status to ensure early detection of problems for timely action.
Providing guidance on gender equity
Encouraging emergency preparedness
Controlling communicable diseases through behavior change, modification, and formation of healthy practices (HIV/AIDS, STI, TB, malaria).
Providing first aid such as Oral Rehydration Therapy.
Demonstrating good personal hygiene in terms of washing hands, using latrines, etc.
Ensuring access to water treatment for safe drinking water.
Demonstrating and encouraging integrated vector control measures.
Enhancing the prevention of accidents and abuse and taking appropriate action when they occur.
Community Health Volunteers assist with health promotion in all stages of life
Family health services to expand FP, maternal, child, and youth services
Promoting maternal-child health and family planning, maternal care, use of trained obstetric care, immunization, nutrition, and community-based IMCI.
Promoting improved adolescent reproductive health through household and community-based dialogue targeting behavior formation, modification, and change.
Facilitating the organization of community-based day-care centers.
Maintaining a community-based referral system, particularly for emergencies.
Hygiene and environmental sanitation
Providing IEC for water, hygiene, sanitation, and school health.
Demonstrating and promoting safe, effective disposal of excreta/solid waste.
Improving water sources to ensure access to safe drinking water.
Demonstrating and practicing good food hygiene.
Demonstrating good personal hygiene.
Developing kitchen gardens.
Organizing community dialogue and health days
Care seeking and compliance with treatment and advice
Training and supporting home caregivers.
Facilitating the availability of and access to vaccines.
Training caregivers to recognize signs of illness and the need for a referral or seeking care outside the home.
Encouraging compliance with recommendations given by health workers in relation to treatment, follow-up, and referral.
Ensuring every pregnant woman receives antenatal and maternity care services.
Governance and management of health services
Attending and taking an active part in meetings to discuss trends in coverage, morbidity, resources, and client satisfaction.
Giving feedback to the service system either directly or through representation.
Claiming rights
Promoting community rights in health care.
Ensuring that healthcare providers in the community are accountable for effective health service delivery and resource use, and above all are functioning in line with the Citizen’s Health charter.
