Essential aid made fully visible: Understanding the proCHW financing landscape analysing accessible donor data sources

Abstract

Introduction Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in extending healthcare services to underserved populations, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. Professional CHWs (proCHWs), who are salaried, skilled, supplied and supervised, are essential for achieving Universal Health Coverage and other global health goals. Despite the growing recognition of proCHWs, there is limited understanding of the global financing landscape for these workers. This study analyses the availability of data detailing the allocation of funding from major global development organisations for proCHWs. Methods The study was conducted by the Community Health Impact Coalition (CHIC) using a two-stage approach. First, eight major global funders were selected through a consultative process with CHIC members, chosen based on their perceived influence, leadership in community health and scale of financial commitments. The second stage involved mapping and analysing the funding availability of these organisations through desk reviews, brief consultations and analysis of public funding databases. The transparency of proCHW-specific funding data was assessed using a classification system: 'yes' (full availability), 'partial' (moderate availability) and 'no' (low/no availability). Results The analysis revealed a gap in accessible data required to quantify the funding for CHWs, particularly proCHWs, across the eight organisations. Only two organisations, The Global Fund and the President's Malaria Initiative, provided partial data visibility, while none fully disclosed specific funding amounts for proCHW programmes. Most organisations did not systematically track or report CHW investments, making it challenging to assess global funding flows. Conclusions The study highlights gaps in the availability of data related to funding for proCHWs, hampering the ability to track and evaluate investments in proCHW programmes. The study recommends global funders improve the specificity of their data reporting and integrate proCHW indicators into standard reporting tools. Enhanced data reporting is essential for optimising investments in proCHW programmes and advancing global health equity.