Strengthening Community-Based Primary Healthcare in Malawi: Developing Health Leaders for the Future
The Global Health Corps (GHC) community is united by the belief that health is a human right, and committed to making that right a reality for all. Given the complexity of health, achieving equitable access to quality healthcare will require a fresh approach rooted in a deep understanding of how to build and transform systems.
Since 2010, GHC has worked in Malawi to recruit and train young health leaders to lead this charge. In July 2017, Malawi launched its first-ever National Community Health Strategy (NCHS) following a highly collaborative process led by the Ministry of Health’s Community Health Service section. The launch of a national plan focused on strengthening community-based healthcare systems was an exciting development that aligns with a growing global trend towards recognizing strong primary healthcare (PHC) services as a key first step to achieving universal health coverage (UHC).
To keep the momentum going and ensure young Malawian leaders are meaningfully included in discussions about the way forward, GHC held a high-level convening and advocacy training on PHC in Lilongwe in late May.
Convening Key Players in Malawi’s Health Sector
Our high-level convening engaged over 70 key stakeholders, including Members of Parliament (MP), representatives from the Ministry of Health, and representatives from partner organizations such as Clinton Health Access Initiative, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Partners in Health , and many more.
Highlights included:
- Martin Kanjadza, GHC’s Malawi Country Manager, delivered opening remarks framing investing in emerging leadership as a key intervention for transforming health systems.
- Honorary MP Juliana Lunguzi and Dr. Doreen Ali from the Ministry of Health gave speeches highlighting the current policy context around community health.
- GHC alumna Esnatt Gondwe moderated a panel with representatives working in government and in civil society, including Mr. Precious Phiri and Mr. Matthew Ramirez, members of the MoH/AMP Health team, and Mr. Andrews Gunda, Country Director of CHAI.
- Several local advocacy leaders led roundtable discussions on various aspects of health systems strengthening.
As the speakers outlined progress to date and ongoing challenges in Malawi’s PHC system, they emphasized the importance of engaging young leaders in solving these challenges:
“Young people need to be given a chance to speak. Our young people have not been trained or built to speak up, argue and debate. Malawians are shy because they have not been empowered with knowledge. Holding a convening like this is one way we can change this.” -Mr. Precious Phiri
“GHC should focus on the preparation of young people in Malawi to become advocates. Our education system does not prepare young people very well to be productive. In South Africa for example, when young people talk, people move! We need to keep empowering young leaders.” -Ms. Doreen Ali
Training the Next Generation of Advocates
Advocacy at its core is the ability to inspire and mobilize others, which is one of our core leadership practices at GHC. As part of our ongoing efforts to to sharpen our young leaders’ capacity in this realm, we planned an advocacy training to follow the convening.
To promote our goal of establishing sustainable partnerships and contextualizing our programming in each of our countries of operation, we partnered with Malawian advocacy group Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) to facilitate the training. Participants sharpened their knowledge and skills around advocating for policy change at the national and local level in Malawi, equipping them to continue to engage in efforts to strengthen the nation’s health systems.
Fellows and alumni representing cohorts from 2012–2013 through our current class of 2017–2018 attended the event, hailing from organizations including Dignitas International, Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Malawi, and Clinton Health Access Initiative. One hundred percent of participants agreed that the training was engaging and held their interest.
Throughout their engagement in the training, fellows and alumni were able to connect the skills they were learning with the key issues that arose in the morning’s convening. The training wrapped up with time for reflection on key takeaways and action steps, including:
“I commit to planning a community health activity for my village.”
“I commit to creating more platforms for people’s voices to be heard — especially for women, the disabled, refugees and young people — on the need for improvement and strengthening of health systems in Malawi.” — Training participant
“Having seen first hand how decentralization of health to the community is a challenge in Malawi, I commit to building community-based primary health care.”
“I commit to research and learn more about primary healthcare.” — Training participant
“I commit to strengthening community organizing on addressing lay community health worker challenges identified for advocacy.”
All participants reported an improvement in:
- their understanding of PHC, the key political and organizational decision-makers in the Malawian PHC environment, and the main challenges to achieving PHC
- their understanding of what advocacy is and their role in it
- their likelihood of engaging in advocacy efforts around PHC or other areas of health systems strengthening
- their skills for participating in PHC advocacy
Alumna Esnatt Gondwe, who moderated the high-level panal during the convening, shared her thoughts on the key takeaways and highlights from the event:
Why did you decide to participate in this convening and training?
I knew it would provide a unique opportunity to learn, network, and grow in my understanding of community health and advocacy. I also knew that a deeper understanding of the national frameworks that are being put in place to promote primary healthcare would help me sharpen and strengthen my own personal message for advocacy.
What was your top highlight from the event?
My top highlight from the event was my convening of the high level panel discussion. It was exciting to be charged with directing the dialogue, as usually I am either a participant or sometimes a panelist. It was so rewarding to develop the moderating component of my skill set.
Another highlight was the Q&A session. I learned a lot from the different backgrounds and experience of people who participated. It was very interactive, and it made me excited and hopeful for the future of my country. The amount of dedication and intelligence in the room was inspiring.
What will you take away from this event and apply to your work/journey as a health equity leader?
I think my most important take away is the need for us to strengthen our community health structures as they are the community’s first point of contact.
Why is it important that young leaders are part of efforts to strengthen community-based primary healthcare in Malawi?
We have the energy, passion and drive to do so. Our active engagement with mainstream mechanisms will enhance our understanding and give us a chance to contribute constructively, making the national collective impact more potent and comprehensive.
At a time when complex global health crises loom, it is critical that we invest in young leaders who are ready to meet the challenges ahead. The GHC community is hungry for opportunities to hone their skills and knowledge of real-time opportunities to create change through advocacy. We look forward to continuing to equip them with the tools and resources needed to amplify their impact.
Brittany Cesarini is the Advocacy and Communications Senior Associate at Global Health Corps, a leadership development organization building the next generation of health equity leaders around the world.
All GHC fellows, partners, and supporters are united in a common belief: health is a human right. Want to get involved? Check out these great opportunities to support the health equity movement and consider joining us as a fellow or partner when applications open later this year! And don’t forget to connect with us on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook.
