By Our Reporter
A Ugandan community health initiative has been awarded USD 120,000 to support the expansion of its innovative approach to tackling child deaths in remote areas by bringing life-saving health services directly to people’s doorsteps. Living Goods Uganda is one of four African initiatives to have won a share of the second GSK and Save the Children Healthcare Innovation Award. The initiative was highlighted during a roundtable discussion convened by GSK and Save the Children to discuss the impact of the Award on health innovation trends in Uganda.
Living Goods’ entrepreneurial model mirrors direct sales techniques used by cosmetics firms like ‘Avon’. Skilled micro-entrepreneurs known as Community Health Promoters, who work closely with local health authorities, operate as franchisees. The health promoters travel door-to-door teaching families how to improve their health while diagnosing and treating patients. They also sell health products such as bed nets, de-worming pills, anti-malaria and diarrhoea treatments, fortified foods, and water filters.
The Living Goods initiative was launched to address the lack of skilled health workers and scalable, affordable healthcare in rural Uganda.
The company’s Country Director Alfred Wise said, “This award will help us significantly increase our network of skilled health promoters, who work closely with their local communities and get to know families by making regular visits over time and gain their trust. Our cost-effective, entrepreneurial approach focuses on the biggest killers of young children – malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia, and under-nutrition.