May 27, 2024 – Today at the World Health Assembly, CARE is proud to launch She Heals the World, a six-year initiative aimed at addressing the challenges Frontline Community Health Workers (FCHW) face delivering health care in their communities and elevating women’s voices in health leadership to strengthen health systems globally.
CARE aims to work with governments, local partners, funders, and other key decision-makers to ensure 1.2 million FCHWs are equitably trained, equipped, and paid to do their lifesaving work, increasing equitable access to healthcare around the world.
“Frontline Community Health Workers – 70% of whom are women globally – are the key to ensuring that underserved communities receive critical health services, but far too often their work goes unnoticed and underappreciated,” said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE. “There is an urgent need for more support and investment to ensure they can continue and extend their lifesaving work, around the world, effectively and safely.”
FCHWs reach the most vulnerable and underrepresented groups at the last mile through health education, care coordination, health commodities, and by helping patients take charge of their own health. However, they often encounter barriers such as heavy workloads, low pay, inadequate training, and limited resources, leading to burnout and unsafe working conditions. FCHWs require increased access to professional development training and equipment, supportive supervision, and higher pay to deliver gender-equal health education and services.
She Heals the World calls for urgent action in three key areas:
- Funding: Governments and donors are urged to invest in and support FCHWs, expand access to care in hard-to-reach communities, and develop policies for resilient and gender-responsive primary health services.
- Implementation: Accountability measures must be put in place to ensure the implementation of key commitments at the country level.
- Integration: FCHWs must be fully recognized as part of the health system and integrated into broader global policy conversations and decision-making processes.
In accomplishing the above, CARE seeks to ensure that FCHWs, particularly women, are empowered, valued, and prioritized as key to resilient, equitable, and sustainable health systems. This aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, aimed at ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for people of all ages.
CARE is encouraged to already see strong bipartisan support for FCHWs from the U.S. Government, including new funding, and we look forward to continuing to grow that support in Congress and the Administration.
Empowering and advocating for women and girls is central to CARE’s mission. The She Heals the World initiative is one of many steps towards ensuring they can lead confidently and have access to equal rights and opportunities.
“We have survived for thousands of years as the guardians of life, and every day, we manage to remain healers of our people,” said María Josefina Xuruc, a midwife from Guatemala. “We have the trust of our communities. Families know us; they put their health in our hands.”
About CARE
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls. Equipped with the proper resources women and girls have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. In 2023, CARE worked in 109 countries, reaching 167 million people through more than 1,600 projects. To learn more, visit www.care.org.
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For media inquiries, please contact: usa.media@care.org