In the past decades, remarkable progress has been made in reducing child mortality. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is lagging, however. In 2019, one child out of 13 in SSA died before his or her fifth birthday. Girls and women here also suffer from the world's highest maternal mortality ratio – 533 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. A shortage of skilled health personnel aggravates these problems. To breach this gap, many African countries rely on community health workers (CHWs). Selected, trained, and based in the communities from which they come, CHWs are on the front line of health care, providing a vital link between health facilities and communities.