Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, deserves access to quality and affordable health care.
Every year, millions of children die from avoidable causes that are easy to treat and prevent. With a focus on children and mothers, BRAC’s health programmes ensure people from the most disadvantaged communities can access critical health care and live healthy, productive lives.
OUR REACH
BRAC’s network of community health workers has reached millions of people with critical health services.
For decades, BRAC’s groundbreaking model of community-based health care has brought lifesaving health services and information directly to the doorsteps of the people living in poverty. Smart investments in health care have a profound impact on individual lives, particularly for mothers and children, and yield long-term social and economic benefits for society as a whole.
OUR APPROACH
Community-based care
At the heart of BRAC’s health programmes are trained and dedicated community health workers who deliver critical care door to door. Women are trained to provide basic preventive and curative care in their communities and to diagnose and refer patients with complications. They focus on maternal and child health, family planning, nutrition promotion, infectious and vector borne disease prevention, immunisation, health promotion and more, and earn a modest income from the sale of basic health goods.
BRAC International has strengthened the link with fixed health facilities to its catchment population in the community through trained dedicated female Community Health Volunteers. We also implement fixed health interventions under the Ministry of Health in each of the countries we operate in across Africa and Asia.
Sexual and reproductive health
Through its community health workers and youth empowerment clubs, BRAC provides critical information and services to women of childbearing age. Services include sexual and reproductive health education, distribution of condoms and oral contraceptives, referrals to health facilities for long-acting, reversible contraception, and nutrition for pregnant mothers.
Non-communicable diseases
As countries develop, non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension are on the rise. These chronic diseases, and their complications, have the potential to overwhelm under-resourced health systems. To combat this, BRAC International is screening for and treating diabetes and hypertension as a special programme, and we also routinely treat cases in Afghanistan at fixed health facilities and promote healthy lifestyles to prevent these diseases.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene
Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is critical to public health. BRAC’s WASH services increase access to safe water, provide sanitary latrines and toilets, and engage communities to encourage positive behaviour change and reduce the spread of preventable diseases. Through a community-based approach, BRAC sets up village WASH committees, training community members as leaders that assess, improve, and maintain WASH infrastructure and practices in their villages.
Digital health innovation
Digital health platforms have the potential to improve the delivery of care and save lives. In Uganda, BRAC’s community workers have used an innovative mobile health platform since 2017, seeking to leverage insights from the digital tool to drive innovation in the coverage, quality, speed, and equity of health service delivery. Over the past two years, BRAC has used data from nearly 500,000 households to improve how community health workers provide care to pregnant women, follow up with newborn babies, and treat malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia among young children.
WHERE WE WORK
Afghanistan
BRAC started its first international operation by venturing into Afghanistan in 2002. BRAC Afghanistan currently operates in 14 out of 34 provinces with programmes in Education, Health, Capacity Development, and Citizens’ Charter.
Liberia
BRAC Liberia was established in 2008 and is currently operating social development programmes in Agriculture, Food Security and Livelihood, Education, Ultra-Poor Graduation, Youth Empowerment, Health, and Microfinance. We work in 11 out of 15 counties of Liberia to support the underprivileged.
Sierra Leone
BRAC began work in Sierra Leone in 2008 with its principal activities being the provision of health services, education, agriculture, livestock, and youth empowerment programmes. We are presently operating in the country’s Western area and some parts of the Northern province.
Uganda
BRAC Uganda started its operations in 2006 to contribute to poverty reduction and support women and youth. Our current programmes are: Education, Health, Disability Inclusive Graduation, Early Childhood Development, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Youth Empowerment, Agriculture, Food Security and Livelihood, and Microfinance to help marginalised people.
LATEST FROM US
RESEARCH EVIDENCE
- BRAC’s health programme, mainly operated by community health workers (CHW), demonstrated significant health impacts in a randomised evaluation in Uganda. Under-five child mortality was reduced by 27 percent at an estimated average cost of USD 68 per life-year saved. The health services through CHWs made visible differences in most of the key indicators in a study in Liberia. The experimental study in Uganda suggested that if all health workers delivered the ORS for free, its coverage would widen by 37 percent, which could save as many as 19 lives per month. Recently, interaction of the CHW model has been an attention of the researchers. A study on the IMCHA initiative, which BRAC implemented in Uganda, found the model contributing greatly to the grounding of research in the local context and connecting it to the policy space. BRAC used a rapid evidence assessment (REA) method to identify the key unanswered research questions relevant to gender equality in health social enterprises using CHWs in Africa. Experimental study in Uganda found that higher financial incentives seemingly attracted 36 percent more new CHW applicants. However, such financial incentives crowded out the pro-social candidates who stayed longer on the job and had a better performance.
RESEARCH BRIEFS OF RELATED STUDIES
OUR WORK IN ACTION
Saving lives at the last mile
BRAC’s cadre of community health workers in Uganda is among the largest in the country. Meet Ruth, a community health worker delivering critical care to mothers and children in her community.