Impact Analysis: Community Health Entrepreneurs are changing the lives of underserved Ugandan communities
We partnered with Healthy Entrepreneurs to fund a sustainable program that amplifies the effectiveness of the Community Health Worker system while increasing the reach to the most isolated communities in Uganda. Today, 96% of our beneficiaries say the quality of their lives has improved since accessing the program’s healthcare support.
Healthy Entrepreneurs is a social enterprise that provides access to basic health in rural areas of Sub Sahara Africa through community health professionals. These Community Health Workers (CHWs) contribute significantly to the improvement of health outcomes but face severe retention and sustainability problems, such as insufficient training and supervision, inadequate supply of medicines and health products, and unsustainable income.
The sustainable program funded by our Social Innovation Ecosystem Fund (SIEF) offers CHWs an opportunity to become Community Health Entrepreneurs (CHEs). Through this program, CHEs receive training, a solar-powered smartphone, and a starter kit of health products worth $100 on credit. Healthy Entrepreneurs drives the sustainability of this program through an integrated supply chain. This enables HE to provide entrepreneurs with quality products at a ~15% lower price than elsewhere.
“It is now easy to access health services at any time of the day or night. I am also able to save money that I used to use in going to the clinics. I also save some money on drugs because [the CHEs’] drugs are much cheaper than those at the clinics,” one of our beneficiaries said.
Key Insights
Wider Engagement
CHEs are reaching beneficiaries who did not have access to similar healthcare support. 72% of beneficiaries shared that they are accessing a healthcare support like that provided by CHEs for the first time. 85% would not be able to find a good alternative to it.
Better Quality Healthcare
CHEs are enabling better access to quality healthcare and improving the overall quality of life. 96% of beneficiaries have higher confidence in the medication they receive, and feel empowered to ask questions about the services provided.
Greater Beneficiary Satisfaction
Affordable medicines and personalized healthcare are main drivers of satisfaction among our beneficiaries. More than half of them have stated that they would recommend the CHEs’ healthcare support to friends and family.
Deeper Impact
Beneficiaries who are receiving diagnostic or preventive care from CHEs have higher satisfaction and better experiences compared to other beneficiaries. In particular, they are more likely to say that the health in their household and overall quality of life are “very much improved”.
“Our long-standing partnership with Healthy Entrepreneurs has proven to be one of the most successful collaborations in our portfolio. Not only because the inclusive last-mile business model they drive forward is highly scalable and works across geographies, but also because of the collaborative spirit and innovation driven mindset that is part of Healthy Entrepreneurs’ DNA as an organization.”
Stefan Wilhelm, Bayer Foundation Social Innovation Associate Director
