With thanks to Community Health Impact Coalition:
'The 4th International CHW Symposium took place virtually November 10-14 with more than 300 CHWs attending, making it the largest virtual gathering of CHWs ever recorded. Participants rallied behind one clear message: professional CHWs are central to primary care in the places that need it most.'
Read the blog:
https://joinchic.org/resources/2025-chw-symposium-bangkok-cta/?utm_sourc...
'Margaret Odera, a CHW from Kenya, described the shift in real terms at the symposium opener:
“For more than 38 years, we were not even able to speak. But this year, CHWs were invited to address the Kenyan Council of Governors. They wanted to hear the reality on the ground.”
If CHWs are expected to deliver on national priorities, they must have structured ways to shape them. That means recognized CHW associations, formal roles in policy processes, and resourcing for CHW-led convenings.
Kenya’s recognition of its national CHW association—and similar efforts from across the continent—show what becomes possible when CHWs are treated as part of the health workforce.'
Indeed, the first international CHW conference that I attended (around 2010 I think) had only one CHW present and I commented on this at the time. It is fantastic that CHWs now have a voice.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org