TABLE 2.

Overview of Community Health Worker Financial Compensation Schemes in Seven sub-Saharan African Countries

BeninBurkina FasoGhanaMalawiMaliNigerZambia
Agents de Santé Communautaire QualifiéRelais CommunautaireAgents de Santé à Base CommunautaireCommunity Health OfficerCommunity Based VolunteerHealth Surveillance AssistantCommunity Health VolunteerAgents de Santé CommunautaireAgents de Santé CommunautaireRelais CommunautaireCommunity Health AssistantCommunity Based Volunteer
Officially full time or part timeFull timePart timePart timeFull timePart timeFull timePart timeFull timeFull timePart timeFull timePart time
Employed or volunteerEmployedVolunteerVolunteerEmployedVolunteerEmployedVolunteerEmployedEmployedVolunteerEmployedVolunteer
Length of pre-service training and any degree requirements9th grade certificate or equivalent and paramedical training∼10 days, depending on partner priorities and disease burdens19 days2 year nursing degree + 2 weeks training∼5 days12 weeksVarying lengths depending on partner support22 days6 months2 weeks1 yearVarying lengths depending on partner support
Financial compensation
 Salary,a US$∼300/month∼130-160/month∼175 – 280/month∼ 70/month∼80/month∼380/month
 Stipend,a US$∼75/month (performance based)∼30/month∼30/month<20 hours per week ∼30/month
 Incentive amountsStandardizedVariousStandardizedVariousStandardized
 Payment modeBank account transferMobile money transferMobile money transferBank account transferCashBank account transferCashVarious partner supported modesVarious partner supported modesMobile money transferBank account transferCash and Mobile credit
Government supportedXXXXXXX
Donor supportedXXXXXXXXXXX
Minimum wage alignmentXXXXXXX
Functions and services
 Community mobilizationXXXXXXXXXXXX
 Health promotionXXXXXXXXXXXX
 iCCM servicesXReferral onlyIf >5 km from health facilityFacility-based IMNCIReferral onlyXReferral onlyXIf >5 km from health facilityX
 Other servicesXOne Health PackageAd hoc campaignsXAd hoc campaignsXAd hoc campaignsXXXXAd hoc campaigns
Catchment area
 CHW to population ratioAt least 1/arrondissement1/150–200 households1/1,000 people1/5,000 peopleUndefined1/1,000 peopleUndefined1/100–700 people1/10,000 people1/5,000 people1/health post1/250–500 households
 Individual communityXXXXBased on population densityXX
 Multiple communitiesXXXBased on population densityXX
Health facility relationship
 Facility basedXXXXX
 Supervised by health facility staffXXXXXXXXXXXX

  • Abbreviations: CHW, community health worker; iCCM, integrated community case management; IMNCI, Integrated Management of Newborn and Child Illnesses.

  • ↵a Equivalent amounts calculated as of June 2023.