Data Aggregation Pilot: Building Community & State Capacity for Improved Health Care Delivery

Following the large-scale success of Zambia’s Community Health Assistant (CHA) program—originally evaluated by Ashraf et al. (2020) and linked to a 25% reduction in child malnutrition—the Ministry of Health scaled up the initiative nationwide. In parallel, Zambia launched a decentralized Community Development Fund (CDF) system, unlocking significant local health spending potential. However, uptake of CDFs for health projects varies widely across constituencies. This project investigates whether the presence of CHAs enhances communities’ ability to access and use CDFs for health. We will collaborate with the Ministry of Local Government to match CDF proposal data with CHA deployment records. Additionally, we will pilot a training intervention in 10 communities to strengthen collective capacity for health problem-solving. The training adapts a data literacy curriculum—proven effective in Ugandan education contexts—to teach CHAs and local youth to identify, analyze, and address local health needs. We will also explore CHAs’ potential as educational role models by introducing a youth-focused extension of the training through Community Health Assistant Interns (CHAIs).This project aims to strengthen community health governance and activate a virtuous cycle linking health, education, and civic capacity.