Meeting People Where They Are: The Power of Community Health Promoters

Community Health Promoters (CHPs) meet girls and women where they are, bringing trusted, engaging health education and pathways to care directly into their communities. In this video, we highlight how ZanaAfrica's CHPs serve as a first point of connection to health information and support, answering questions and helping people navigate the next step toward care.

In Kenya, Community Health Promoters are an important part of the country’s community health system. They are trained members of local communities who bring health information, education, and support closer to the people they serve. Because they live and work in their communities, they can build trusted relationships and help people navigate health questions and services in ways that are accessible and relevant to their everyday lives.

For girls and women, that trusted connection can be especially important. Knowing that you need support is an important first step, but knowing where to go, who you can trust, and how to access the right care can make all the difference. CHPs help bridge that gap by bringing health information closer to home, answering questions, and connecting people to health services.

That trusted, community-based connection is an important part of how ZanaAfrica reaches girls and women. By working with CHPs, we can bring health information and support directly into communities, while connecting people to Nia HealthLink for additional information and a pathway to care.

Through community mobilization and social and behavior change campaigns, our CHPs connect girls and women to Nia HealthLink (NHL), a trusted source of health information and support that they can access directly from the mobile phones they already use.

When someone reaches out to Nia HealthLink, they can connect with either our chatbot or a trained hotline operator, depending on the support they need. NHL provides factual, rights-based information on a wide range of health questions. And when information alone isn’t enough, NHL helps people take the next step by connecting them to appropriate health services through referrals.

Community → HealthLink → Referral → Care → Better Health Outcomes

Our CHPs are an important part of that connection. They introduce girls and women to the HealthLink and also serve as trained hotline operators, providing a human connection when someone reaches out for help. It’s a powerful combination: the trust and relationships that already exist within communities, paired with the reach and accessibility of technology.

Nia HealthLink also helps us listen and learn. The questions users ask can reveal gaps in information, services, or access to care. We can use what we learn to respond to those needs, strengthen connections to services, and help girls and women take the next step toward care.

At ZanaAfrica, we believe information is the starting point, not the endpoint. People need to know where to turn, who they can trust, and have a clear path to care. By bringing together trusted community health workers and accessible technology, we help individuals move from questions to information, from information to action, and from action to care.