Supporting Community Health Workers in Timor-Leste
In 2007 the Timorese Ministry of Health rolled out a national cadre of volunteer Family Health Promoters or Promotores Saude Familia (PSF) to support maternal and child health. PSFs conduct home visits and assist health staff when they provide community outreach services.
The Ministry of Health hopes to have three PSFs in every village throughout Timor-Leste. By the end of 2008 there were 1,500 trained PSFs nationwide expected to work about four hours per week.
Our staff worked closely with Ministry of Health counterparts in the development of the PSF program, and serve as Master Trainers for this cadre of volunteer workers.
During the initial planning phase of the PSF program with the Ministry of Health, our staff also noted that a few simple, culturally relevant visual tools could facilitate the PSFs' community work. In collaboration with partners, we developed a set of eight photo cards using culturally relevant images to show healthy maternal and newborn behaviors. The cards have simple, clear messages about pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum care and child spacing. Each PSF is given a laminated set of the photo cards after participating in an HAI-sponsored workshop that teaches how to effectively communicate the health messages during home visits with pregnant mothers.
Funding for our work with the national PSF program came from USAID. UNICEF supported the creation of some of the materials.