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.
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!
Bonjou! My name is Brooke Bullock and I am a current graduate student working with International HELP, specifically on the Haiti project, and I wanted to share a few updates. On June 5th, we got the chance to officially start our work in Haiti! I went to Carrefour, Haiti, along with our founder, Monterey Starkey, for 4 days. We partnered with a local non-profit organization called VOPADEH, which is a faith-based organization who aims to better the social conditions of every Haitian citizen. While there, we assessed Carrefour and the surrounding areas to get a better idea of the health disparities the community members faced. We also held three different meetings, one with the VOPADEH leaders, one with the community leaders from the 13 different communal sections in Carrefour and lastly, one with actual community members. In the last meeting, we collected much-needed information from health surveys about various topics such as nutrition, sanitation, and women’s health.
This view from the school where we held out meetings in Carrefour shows this beautiful city.
Monterey and I spent much time on foot exploring the communities and were able to see first-hand what everyday living is like in Carrefour. In doing so, we saw many health needs such as a lack of bathrooms (public and private), limited food choices from the markets, and a lack of sanitation and trash systems. Seeing this will help me, Monterey, and the International HELP team develop a training plan that will greatly fill the needs of the Carrefour community.
The VOPADEH leaders and community members of Carrefour, Haiti could not express how thankful they are to be able to partner with International HELP. This was such a wonderful opportunity for me, thanks to International HELP and VOPADEH, and I am very excited to work alongside Monterey to train community health workers in Haiti. Now that we are back, we will start the process of reviewing the information gathered and preparing training manuals to teach the community health workers.
~ Brooke, MPH Intern
