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Thadeus Oduor Okello and Martha Mwikali are two community health workers (CHWs) serving vulnerable populations in Kisumu, located in Western Kenya, near Lake Victoria, about 70 miles from the Ugandan border.
Recently they both earned WiRED International’s Gold Certificate while at the KUAP Pandipieri clinic in Kisumu and wrote testimonials about their experiences with WiRED.
To earn a Gold certificate, a person must undergo careful testing on 25 modules selected from among 400+ training modules in WiRED’s health curriculum — no easy task considering the rigors and range of the coursework. Certificates are given to confirm successful completion of the training programs.
Mr. Okello is a 29-year-old CHW who teaches female and LGBT sex workers how to reduce risky behaviors. He educates them on alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
He said, “I want to thank WiRED International and KUAP for bringing free community health education to the Center. I wish we had more centers where at-risk people could learn about health and diseases.”
Ms. Mwikali is a 22-year-old CHW who specializes in personal hygiene, sanitation, clean water and health. She is particularly concerned about the danger that diseases such as HIV pose to the girls in her community and works to empower them by teaching them about prevention.
She writes, “Thank you, WiRED, for giving our community the health information we need to prevent disease and for the certificate program we use in job applications. God bless you.”
In addition to the general health certificate program, WiRED has just begun offering a special certificate in Mother and Child Health, a curriculum of 24 modules covering issues ranging from family planning to child rearing. All of WiRED’s modules are located within the KUAP center and free to all members of the Kisumu community. The modules also are available globally for use online and for downloading to laptops and tablets.
Community Health Workers Are Key to Global Health Improvement
In the last few years the World Health Organization has focused on the potential of CHWs in reducing inequities in access to essential health services, particularly in underserved, vulnerable populations.
The crucial point is that CHWs need thorough training in order to deliver sustainable and effective health care. WiRED is preparing for an upcoming project that will compile and research a CHW training program for low-resource communities. It will develop, test and deliver an adaptable CHW training program that provides a core curriculum readily configured for local needs. More information on this program will be coming soon.
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