By: Liz Jarman, Living Goods Kenya Country Director In July 2015, our first class of Living Goods Kenya Community Health Promoters–known as community health volunteers (CHVs) in Kenya–graduated in Busia County, brimming with pride. If you could be a fly on the wall at a Living Goods graduation, you would see how inspiring and joyous these events are. CHVs are so excited to have been trained and given the tools to do their job. They are just raring to get to work! They proudly stand up in front of their families to receive their well-earned certificates and collect their equipment…

From February 18-20, 2016, I attended a workshop on the situational analysis of maternal and child health in West Africa. Held in Dakar, Senegal, the workshop provided a unique platform for researchers working on maternal and child health to engage with government policymakers from a number of West African countries.

It is women and children across developing countries who suffer most from the shocks and stresses to health systems. In South Sudan — a country ravaged by conflicts — limited infrastructure, lack of health information, and severe shortages of health personnel contribute to high levels of maternal and child mortality.