Community Health Volunteer's Training Manual - Population Council

Module 4 The work of Community Health Volunteers
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Unit Summary
There are two health delivery programmes which the volunteer assists the CHO to do –
outreach programmes and health delivery at the facility level. The volunteer’s role is mainly
mobilisation of community members to fully participate in all health delivery activities.
The volunteer is said to have done well when he gets about 80% of community members to
participate in outreach activities, women to participate in MCH activities and sick people to
report promptly to the health facility. Also, the volunteer can use this occasion to collect vital
health data about the community and pass it on to CHOs. These were things we learned in
this unit.
Module Summary
The main work of the volunteer is to assist the CHO in the provision of basic health services
to community members. The volunteer does this through home visiting, health education
and promotion, treatment of minor ailments, assisting the CHO during outreach and at
the facility. As the volunteer does this work he or she interacts with the clients and gets to
know their health problems, advises them and refers them to the CHO or gives them minor
treatments. Food is an important determinant of health and the volunteer has a role to play
in assisting community members identify foods within their environment that promote
good health. When volunteers do this job effectively, they help to raise the health status of
the community and lower its disease burden. Therefore, the volunteer is a very important
link between the health delivery system and the individual and family who take action to
improve their health.