Mental health and wellbeing affect everything; they impact education, economic independence and independent living. They are essential to a self-determined life. My name is Kamala Poudel. I am a community health worker in Kathmandu Nepal. I provide mental health services for survivors of sex trafficking, domestic violence and homelessness. I have a passion for serving these communities as I too have been trafficked and suffered from psychological illnesses since a…

My name is Mourlyne Odhiambo, a Community Health Officer (CHO) in Suba North Sub-County, Kenya coordinating community health services at Mbita Township B Community Health Unit (CHU), Homa Bay County, Kenya. I work alongside a team of dedicated Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to educate families, screen for  health conditions, and link people to care at the community level.  In recent years, our community has seen a rise in non-communicable diseases…

Bio Barbara Claire Akello is a Community Health Worker turned supervisor of Village Health Teams (VHTs) in Wakiso District, Uganda. In Wakiso, she supports communities in Namayumba, Masulita, Kakiri, Mende, Buusi, and Zzinga – communities that are resilient but often face significant challenges such as floods that cut off access to health facilities, heat waves that increase illness, crop failures that strain family incomes, and cultural myths that make open…

Bio Sheringham Elisha is a passionate Community Health Worker (CHW) advocate and the current Secretary General of the Kenya Community Health Worker Champions Network (CHW-CN), a national CHPs’ (Community Health Promoters) organization representing CHPs across all 47 counties in Kenya. He is also a co-founder of the organization and leads policy and legislative advocacy efforts aimed at professionalizing CHWs in Kenya. Through his leadership, CHW-CN has successfully mobilized thousands of…