What Is Community Health?
Community health brings healthcare services closer to where you live. Instead of waiting until you’re sick and going to a clinic, community health workers visit your home, teach you about staying healthy, and connect you to services.
Goal: Prevent illness and catch problems early before they become serious.
Community Health Promoters (CHPs)
What Are CHPs?
CHPs are trained community members who work as the link between health facilities and your community. They’re not doctors or nurses, but they have basic health training.
Other names:
- Community Health Volunteers (CHVs)
- Village Health Workers
- Community Health Workers (CHWs)
Note: Different counties use different titles, but the role is similar.
What CHPs Do
1. Health Education
- Teach about nutrition, hygiene, and disease prevention
- Show proper handwashing and sanitation
- Explain family planning options
- Talk about breastfeeding and child nutrition
- Discuss HIV/AIDS prevention
2. Home Visits
- Check on pregnant mothers
- Monitor newborn babies
- Follow up with people managing chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension)
- Identify sick people who need to go to clinic
- Support elderly and bedridden patients
3. Basic Services
- Check temperature, blood pressure, weight
- Provide first aid for minor injuries
- Give oral rehydration solution (ORS) for diarrhea
- Distribute mosquito nets, water purification tablets
- Identify malnutrition in children
4. Referrals
- Recognize when someone needs to go to clinic or hospital
- Connect people to health facilities
- Follow up to make sure they went
- Report disease outbreaks
5. Community Mobilization
- Organize health talks and campaigns
- Register families for SHA/SHIF
- Encourage immunizations
- Support behavior change (sanitation, nutrition, etc.)
What CHPs DON’T Do
They are not licensed to:
- Diagnose diseases
- Prescribe medication
- Perform medical procedures
- Deliver babies (except emergencies)
- Give injections
If you’re seriously ill, you still need to go to a clinic or hospital.
How Community Health Works
Community Health Units (CHUs)
Kenya is divided into Community Health Units. Each CHU serves about 5,000 people (around 1,000 households).
Each CHU has:
- 10-15 CHPs/CHVs
- Link to a nearby health facility
- Community Health Assistant (CHA) who supervises
- Community Health Committee (community members who support the CHPs)
Your CHP’s Coverage
Each CHP is assigned specific households (usually 20-50 families). They visit these homes regularly to:
- Check on health status
- Provide health education
- Identify problems early
- Connect families to services
How Often They Visit
- Pregnant women: Monthly or more
- Newborns (0-6 months): Monthly
- Children under 5: Every few months
- Chronic disease patients: Monthly or as needed
- General households: A few times a year
Emergency visits: If someone reports a problem, CHP can visit sooner.
Services CHPs Provide
For Mothers and Babies
During Pregnancy:
- Encourage antenatal clinic visits
- Monitor weight and blood pressure
- Teach nutrition during pregnancy
- Explain danger signs
- Remind about immunizations (tetanus)
- Provide mosquito nets
- Refer complications immediately
After Birth:
- Visit within 24-48 hours
- Check mother and baby’s health
- Teach breastfeeding
- Explain newborn care
- Watch for danger signs (fever, difficulty breathing, not feeding)
- Remind about immunizations
- Support family planning
Child Health (0-5 years):
- Weight and growth monitoring
- Remind parents about vaccination schedule
- Teach nutrition (introducing foods, balanced diet)
- Recognize malnutrition
- Treat simple diarrhea with ORS
- Refer sick children to clinic
For Chronic Diseases
Diabetes and Hypertension:
- Remind patients to take medications
- Check blood pressure
- Monitor blood sugar (if have equipment)
- Teach about diet and exercise
- Ensure they go to clinic for refills
- Identify complications early
HIV and TB:
- Support medication adherence
- Provide education to reduce stigma
- Connect people to testing services
- Follow up on treatment
- Ensure family members get tested if needed
For Disease Prevention
Malaria:
- Distribute mosquito nets
- Teach proper use and care
- Encourage clearing standing water
- Identify cases early
Water and Sanitation:
- Promote handwashing
- Teach proper waste disposal
- Encourage latrine use and maintenance
- Distribute water purification tablets
Nutrition:
- Teach balanced diet using local foods
- Promote kitchen gardens
- Identify malnourished children
- Support breastfeeding mothers
Emergency Response
Disease Outbreaks:
- Report unusual illnesses to health facility
- Help with contact tracing
- Educate community about prevention
- Support vaccination campaigns
Disasters:
- Provide first aid
- Connect people to emergency services
- Support vulnerable individuals
How to Access Community Health Services
Find Your CHP
1. Ask Your Neighbors
- Most areas have CHPs assigned
- Neighbors can tell you who covers your area
2. Visit Your Local Health Facility
- Ask for “Community Health Unit”
- They’ll tell you which CHP serves your area
3. Through Local Administration
- Village elder or chief can connect you
4. Look for Them
- CHPs usually wear identification (t-shirt, badge, vest)
- They do home visits regularly
Contact Your CHP
Once you know your CHP:
- Save their phone number
- You can call if you have health questions
- They can visit your home if needed
- Tell them about family health events (pregnancy, new baby, illness)
Services Are Free
CHPs volunteer or receive small allowances from the county. You should NOT pay them for their services.
If someone claims to be a CHP and demands payment, report them to your local health facility.
Benefits of Community Health
Early Detection
- Health problems caught before they’re serious
- Complications prevented
- Lower treatment costs
Convenience
- Services come to your home
- Don’t need to travel to clinic for basic checks
- Saves time and transport money
Personalized Care
- CHP knows your family and situation
- Can provide advice that fits your life
- Builds trust over time
Health Education
- Learn how to stay healthy
- Understand diseases better
- Know when to seek care
Connection to Services
- CHP helps you navigate health system
- Makes sure you get to clinic when needed
- Follows up on your treatment
Special Programs CHPs Support
Linda Mama (Free Maternity)
- Identify pregnant women early
- Ensure they attend antenatal clinics
- Support safe deliveries
- Provide postnatal care
Immunization Campaigns
- Announce vaccination days
- Remind parents to bring children
- Follow up on missed vaccinations
- Report vaccine-preventable diseases
Nutrition Programs
- Identify malnourished children
- Connect families to feeding programs
- Teach proper infant feeding
- Support exclusive breastfeeding
SHA/SHIF Registration
- Explain benefits of health insurance
- Help families register
- Answer questions about coverage
Working with Your CHP
Do:
- Welcome them when they visit
- Be honest about health concerns
- Ask questions if you don’t understand
- Follow their advice about seeking clinic care
- Participate in health talks and activities
- Give feedback to improve services
Don’t:
- Hide health problems from them
- Ignore their advice to go to clinic
- Expect them to diagnose or treat serious illness
- Refuse visits (they’re trying to help)
What to Ask Your CHP
- When are immunization days at the clinic?
- What danger signs should I watch for in my child?
- How can I prevent diseases in my family?
- When should I go to the clinic vs. hospital?
- What free health services are available?
- How do I register for SHA/SHIF?
Community Health Committee
Each CHU has a committee of community members who:
- Support CHPs’ work
- Mobilize community for health activities
- Raise concerns about health services
- Link community to health facility
You can join or participate in committee activities.
Impact of Community Health in Kenya
Success Stories
Maternal and child health:
- More pregnant women attending antenatal clinics
- Increased deliveries at health facilities
- Better newborn care
- Higher immunization rates
Disease management:
- Better control of HIV and TB
- Improved diabetes and hypertension management
- Early detection of outbreaks
Prevention:
- Increased mosquito net use
- Better nutrition practices
- Improved hygiene and sanitation
Challenges and Solutions
Challenge: Some Areas Don’t Have Active CHPs
Solution: Contact your county health office to request CHP services
Challenge: CHPs Sometimes Hard to Reach
Solution: Get their phone number and call when you need help
Challenge: Limited Supplies
Solution: CHPs work with limited resources; be understanding and patient
Take Action Today
Connect with Your CHP
- Find out who serves your area
- Save their contact information
- Welcome them when they visit
- Build a relationship
Participate in Community Health
- Attend health talks and campaigns
- Apply community health lessons at home
- Share health information with neighbors
- Consider volunteering as a CHP
Support Community Health
- Join Community Health Committee if interested
- Give feedback to improve services
- Encourage others to use CHP services
- Report CHPs doing excellent work
Community Health Promoters are your partners in staying healthy. They bring healthcare to your doorstep, help you prevent illness, and connect you to services when needed. Take advantage of this free resource in your community.