From training 18 new Community Health Workers in rural El Salvador to expanding chronic disease outreach in Uganda, the spring months of 2026 highlighted growth, leadership, and the multiplying impact of community-based healthcare.
The first months of 2026 highlight resilience and growth across our Community Health Worker network. From strategic planning and expanded outreach in Uganda to emergency preparedness in El Salvador and flood response in Zimbabwe, CHWs are beginning the year with commitment and compassion.
From monthly meetings that never missed a beat to large-scale maternal health trainings in Uganda, the second half of 2025 showed what’s possible when Community Health Workers are consistently supported. This impact update highlights milestones, community events, and the quiet, faithful work of CHWs serving across El Salvador and Uganda.
As International HELP celebrates ten years of global impact, we’re sharing powerful stories from the Community Health Workers who are transforming health in their communities. From maternal health in Zimbabwe to nutrition training in Haiti and malnutrition screening in Uganda, these everyday leaders show what lasting change looks like in action.
Stories of Impact from Our Newest Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Entebbe, Uganda
Over the past two months, our Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been working diligently—hosting community events, educating neighbors, responding to local health concerns, and demonstrating creativity and commitment. Whether it’s tackling mosquito-borne diseases, helping at local clinics, or finding new ways to visibly represent their role, these CHWs continue to be the first line of health support in their communities. Here’s a look at what they’ve been up to:
The Las Negritas Community Health Workers (CHWs) rallied together with community members, church members, and children from the local school to work together to clean their community. The groups worked to pick up trash, organize recycling, and clean common spaces. This initiative not only beautified the area but also helped prevent diseases by removing trash and standing water that attract mosquitoes.
The CHWs of Ojo de Agua hosted an “Abatización” campaign, creating and distributing mosquito-killing treatment bags to prevent dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases. They went house to house to ensure proper use, showcasing a proactive approach to fighting mosquitos.
In April, CHWs in El Jute met to discuss asthma and allergies and raised concern over an uptick in Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease among children. In May, they focused on personal hygiene—covering handwashing, skin infections, and household cleanliness. In both meetings, CHWs reported taking community members’ blood pressure and helping others recognize common symptoms of illness.
The Zimbabwe CHWs have been asking for more identification to help them while they work in their communities. While in Zimbabwe in April for their Advanced Nutrition Certification, we were able to design and order t-shirts for them. The shirts were finally delivered! These shirts help legitimize their presence and reinforce their role as trusted health leaders in their neighborhoods.
These snapshots show what’s possible when CHWs are equipped, empowered, and trusted by their communities. From tackling disease outbreaks to supporting clinic operations and creating healthier environments, their ripple effect is undeniable. As we move into summer, we look forward to continued momentum—and to celebrating more CHW wins with you along the way.
Each month, we celebrate the continued dedication of International HELP’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) around the world. From tackling health misinformation to providing critical education and referrals, CHWs are bringing lasting change to their communities–one conversation, one training, one life at a time. In this update, we’re highlighting powerful stories and progress from El Salvador, Haiti, and Honduras during February and March 2025.
The El Jute CHW group met on February 19 to explore two critical topics: substance abuse and domestic violence. Alongside the training, the group hosted a unique and joyful community activity.
Group leader Xiomara shared: “I would like to inform you that today we had a get-together and the monthly meeting at the same time, it was nice. I also did an experiment where we took blood pressure before and after running. Each person also brought a fruit to share with the children who were there.”
The group also completed their biannual survey. Here’s what we learned:
Our CHWs in Carrefour met throughout the first three months of the year to address key health topics with their communities:
Across these three months, the active CHWs in Haiti reported reaching nearly 4,700 individuals with health support, including education and referrals related to fever, flu, diarrhea, anemia, and more.
In March, the group completed their biannual CHW survey. Highlights include:
In honor of World Tuberculosis Day, CHWs in Nueva Esperanza took part in a community walk and health fair on March 26. The event included health education talks, medical consultations, blood pressure and glucose checks, fluoride application, and vaccinations.
One of our CHWs, Waldina, proudly joined the walk with her child—who even made a sign to raise awareness about TB. These kinds of public events help reinforce the visibility of CHWs and provide tangible support and education to the broader community. We’re so proud of our CHWs for taking active roles in events like this that center community health and prevention.
As we move into the next quarter, we’re excited to continue equipping Community Health Workers (CHWs) with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to serve their communities. In the months ahead, we’ll be supporting advanced trainings, evaluating impact through follow-ups, and welcoming new CHWs into our growing global network.
Stay tuned for more stories of transformation, resilience, and community-led health!
As we step into 2025, our Community Health Workers (CHWs) continue to make a profound impact in their communities. From health education to life-saving interventions, their dedication is transforming lives. Here are some of the incredible highlights from January:
Group leader Fritznel trained approximately 400 children in nutrition and blood pressure monitoring. Children expressed gratitude, recognizing how this knowledge could save lives in their community:
CHWs met in their monthly meeting to discuss stress, anxiety, and depression, topics the group felt were critical for their community. One of the CHWs shared a powerful testimony about the importance of mental health discussions:
CHWs in Gwanda gathered for their first monthly meeting of 2025 to discuss rabies prevention due to frequent dog bite cases and high treatment costs, stressing the importance of dog vaccination.
CHW Success Stories:
Our CHWs are already planning impactful initiatives for the months ahead. Stay tuned for February updates, and thank you for supporting our mission to empower CHWs worldwide!
As 2024 draws to a close, we’re thrilled to reflect on the incredible work our Community Health Workers (CHWs) have accomplished. Their dedication to improving health outcomes and fostering resilience in their communities continues to inspire us. Below are highlights from July through December, showcasing their impactful initiatives across the globe:
CHWs responded to an emergency in Canton San Miguel, where a woman who had just given birth was attended to and safely transferred to the hospital in Metapán. Their swift action underscores the critical role CHWs play in emergencies.
At their monthly meeting, CHWs discussed cancer prevention and emphasized early detection and vaccination. CHW Olivia reflected: “It was very important to learn about exams to avoid uterine cancer and how crucial it is to vaccinate girls at age 11 to prevent HPV.”
CHWs led efforts to combat a dengue outbreak by fumigating mosquito breeding grounds, clearing stagnant water and trash, and educating families about prevention. Their leadership galvanized schools, clinics, and neighbors to join the fight, halting the spread of disease and protecting countless lives.
CHWs performed MUAC screenings for children, going door-to-door to identify and refer cases of malnutrition, ensuring timely care for those in need.
Youth health education took center stage as group leader Fritznel taught blood pressure monitoring to a group of school children.
Additionally, in December, CHWs participated in soft-skills training on leadership, conflict resolution, and event planning. They are preparing for a January community health event to promote behavior change.
We’re excited to launch regular blog updates, sharing the incredible work of our CHWs in real-time. Their passion and commitment inspire us, and we look forward to supporting their efforts to create healthier, more resilient communities in the coming year.
Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for partnering with us to empower CHWs worldwide!
In October 2023 our team traveled to Uganda for the first time and trained 25 new Community Health Workers (CHWs). We partnered with Hope for Youth, a Ugandan NGO that aims to “improve the quality of life for the under-priviledged children and youth in their communities by empowering them through functional education skills and access to health services, while restoring the seed of Hope in them” (idealist.org).
To hear more specifics about the training, be sure to check out Ashley and Madeleine’s testimonies where they share more about their favorite parts of the training. But in this blog, we want to specifically highlight four testimonies and stories from our new CHWs!
“Am Liz from Uganda aged 32 years old with four children aged 12 yrs, 8 yrs, 4 yrs, and 1.5 yrs. Am so grateful for having sent to us this group of lovely, friendly and welcoming people to take us through this training, it was so interesting and full of knowledge for me to learn. I believe I have not remained the same, because now am able to help my family, neighbors and friends when it comes to the knowledge I have so far. Please don’t stop on us keeping inputting this knowledge to more and more people the reward is God’s. Thank you so much for everything you bought us to carry on our training well. May God rightly bless you. We love you and God bless and bless you all for having heart of remembering to give back to others.”
“My name is Mwanje Yunus a student doing a certificate in pharmacy. I am so glad to be part of the training with Ashley and Madeleine because through their teaching I have learned basically how to present medical information to the village doctors. I have learned more on how to prevent and signs and symptoms of different diseases in the community and how to handle any first aid management I am so excited and would like you to involve with many more health training activities. I am so happy and thank you a lot.”
“I would like to extend my appreciations to the organization for the great and wonderful training of the community health workers in Uganda especially at Hope for Youth – Uganda. It has been so interesting and educative session about health status. I believe our health in the community is going to improve a lot because we have gained a lot of prevention measures. Hope to see you again. Thank you so much for the trust help and saving the lives of the people in the community. May the good Lord continue blessing you.”
“Hello! International HELP. I am so humbled for training you offered to us as the community health workers in Uganda especially at Hope for Youth. I professionally trained as a primary teacher but I am glad that I am a community health worker through you. I thank you for the support and donations you are doing to save people’s lives. My favorite topics during the training were vital signs, malaria, and healing with water. This will help me to save people in my community through training them on what they are supposed to do. May God greatly bless you guys and make ways for you. Great thanks to our trainers Maddy and Ashley for whatever they did to us.”
While these are only 4 of the 25 different stories present throughout our Ugandan training, they do a wonderful job presenting the different perspectives we had present throughout the training. We are so grateful to have worked with such a passionate team of CHWs. We look forward to returning and providing additional trainings in the future! You can see more testimonies from our CHWs on International HELP’s YouTube.
Thank you all for your love and support,
The International HELP Team
–Madeleine Burkholder, MPH, CPH
Program Coordinator
