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.
A volunteer shares her experience traveling to Uganda with IHELP, learning Luganda, connecting with CHWs, and discovering the power of community-centered public health.
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.
Discover what it’s like behind the scenes of International HELP’s CHW training in Uganda as an intern reflects on preparing materials, teaching sessions, and the passion of local health workers.
Stories of Impact from Our Newest Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Entebbe, Uganda
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
