Financing mechanisms
The Financing Alliance for Health’s innovative financing mechanisms are designed to address critical gaps in health funding by mobilizing resources from diverse sources, including governments, global health organizations, and private sector partners. These mechanisms ensure sustainable and equitable financing for primary and community health programs, ensuring they better serve vulnerable populations.
We have designed 2 key mechanisms:
Africa Frontline First is an Africa-led partnership from the Community Health Impact Coalition, the Financing Alliance for Health, and Last Mile Health, under the championship of H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, that drives smarter, more effective financing to bring lifesaving care to millions across Africa. The fragmentation of funding for community health in Africa causes inefficiencies and gaps in essential services, hindering progress towards universal health coverage. Africa Frontline First. catalyzes more and better financing for community health, ensuring resources align with country priorities and flow efficiently through national systems.
Our three-part approach puts governments in the driving seat, enabling them to be the deal-makers of their community health programs– directly impacting professional community health workers and patients across the continent:
- Catalyze more funding for community health
- Empower countries to access and use financing effectively via technical support
- Advocate for increased political commitment and sustained financing for community health
FAH was the seed investor and remains the fiscal sponsor of Africa Frontline First. Learn more on Africa Frontline First’s website here.
The Partners
The Africa Frontline First Catalytic Fund is the largest fund in history for professionalized community health workers.
Since 2022, Africa Frontline First has mobilized US$219 million from public, private, and social sectors to directly support country-led community health programs. This includes a US$100 million catalytic fund, which was launched with support from the Global Fund, the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, and the Skoll Foundation.
Community Health Unit Savings and Loan Associations (CHUSLAs)
Community Health Workers (CHWs) face challenges like low pay, inadequate training, limited career growth, and financial instability, leading to high attrition rates.
This disrupts service delivery, exacerbates healthcare inequalities, and increases training costs for new CHWs.
The Community Health Unit Savings and Loan Associations (CHUSLAs) initiative aims to address these issues by establishing CHUSLAs to invest in income-generating activities managed by CHWs.
With 10 to 20 self-selected members, CHUSLAs save money through share purchases, invest in a loan fund, and provide small grants for emergencies.