In developing countries, community health workers (CHW) are the main health service providers. Although the CHWs are the lowest cadre,
they have many tasks compared to other cadres. An integrated system supporting all tasks of CHWs is likely to improve their work and health
services. Currently, a stream of mHealth apps exist, funded by donors, developed by NGOs and used also by CHWs in most developing
countries. However, each app concerns one health programme, promoting fragmentation, and consequently
the CHW has to use many apps/phones,
each health program stores data in its own database, hence duplicate reporting and incoherent databases outside the national health
information system emerge, and
the CHW focuses attention on the area covered by the app and neglects other duties.
An integrated system can be built with the free and open source District Health Information Software (DHIS2) Android Tracker Capture and
Dashboard. However, the software lacks three functionalities; the growth monitoring chart, training videos directly accessible from the app and
reports (for each programme and consolidated). This proposal aims at developing these functionalities, setting up the system for CHWs and
their supervisors, making it store data in the national DHIS2 database and having around 40 CHWs in three health facilities use it over 18
months. Funding for sustainable and countrywide scaling will be sought during the project period.