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Tag: The Geneva Learning Foundation

  • Global health: learning to do more with less

    Global health: learning to do more with less

    In a climate of funding uncertainty, what if the most cost-effective investments in global health weren’t about supplies or infrastructure, but human networks that turn learning into action? In this short review article, we explore how peer learning networks that connect human beings to learn from and support each other can transform health outcomes with minimal resources.

    The common thread uniting the different themes below reveals a powerful principle for our resource-constrained era: structured peer learning networks consistently deliver outsized impact relative to their cost.

    Whether connecting health workers battling vaccine hesitancy in rural communities, maintaining essential immunization services during a global pandemic, supporting practitioners helping traumatized Ukrainian children, integrating AI tools ethically, or amplifying women’s voices from the frontlines – each case demonstrates how connecting practitioners across geographical and hierarchical boundaries transforms individual knowledge into collective action.

    When health systems face funding shortfalls, these examples suggest that investing in human knowledge networks may be the most efficient approach available: they adapt to local contexts, identify solutions that work without additional resources, spread innovations rapidly, and build resilience that extends beyond any single intervention.

    As one practitioner noted, “There’s a lot of trust in our network” – a resource that, unlike material supplies, grows stronger the more it’s used.

    Sustaining gains in HPV vaccination coverage without additional resources

    Recent analysis from TGLF’s Teach to Reach programme is providing valuable insights that both confirm and extend our understanding about what drives successful vaccination campaigns.

    “Through peer learning networks, we discovered, for example, that tribal communities may show less vaccine hesitancy than urban populations, teachers could be more influential than health workers in driving vaccination acceptance, and religious institutions can become powerful allies,” explains TGLF’s Charlotte Mbuh. Other strategies include cancer survivors serving as advocates, WhatsApp groups connecting community health workers, and schoolchildren becoming effective messengers to initiate family conversations about vaccination

    TGLF’s findings are based on analysis of implementation strategies shared by over 16,000 health professionals. Because they emerged through peer learning activities, participants got an immediate benefit. Now the real question is whether global partners and funders are recognize the significance and value of such field-based insights.

    Most remarkably, analysis revealed that “success was often independent of resource levels” and “informal networks proved more important than formal ones” in sustaining high HPV vaccination coverage – suggesting that alongside material inputs, knowledge connections play a critical and often undervalued role.

    Read the full article: HPV vaccination: New learning and leadership to bridge the gap between planning and implementation

    5 years on: what the COVID-19 Peer Hub taught us about pandemic preparedness

    When routine immunization services faced severe disruption in 2020, placing over 80 million children at risk, TGLF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) supported a digital network connecting more than 6,000 frontline health workers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The results demonstrate why knowledge networks matter during crises.

    Within just 10 days, the network generated 1,200+ ideas and developed 700 peer-reviewed action plans. Most significantly, implementation rates were seven times higher than conventional approaches, with collaborative participants achieving 30% better outcomes in maintaining essential health services.

    “This approach complemented traditional models by recognizing frontline workers as experts in their own contexts,” says Mbuh. Quantitative assessment showed structured peer learning achieved efficacy scores of 3.2 on a 4-point scale, compared to 1.4 for traditional cascade training – providing evidence that practitioners benefit from both expert guidance and structured horizontal connections.

    Read the full article: How can we reliably spread evidence-based practices at the speed and scale modern health challenges demand?

    Peer learning for Psychological First Aid: Supporting Ukrainian children

    The EU-funded programme on Psychological First Aid (PFA) for children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine reveals how peer learning creates value that enhances technical training.

    During a recent ChildHub webinar, TGLF’s Reda Sadki outlined five unique benefits practitioners gain: contextual wisdom that complements standardized guidance, pattern recognition across diverse cases, validation of experiential knowledge, real-time problem-solving for urgent challenges, and professional resilience in difficult circumstances.

    One practitioner, Serhii Federov, helped a frightened girl during rocket strikes by focusing on her teddy bear – illustrating how field adaptations enrich formal protocols. Another noted: “There is a lot of trust in our network,” highlighting how sharing experiences reduces isolation while building technical capacity.

    With multiple entry points from microlearning modules to intensive peer learning exercises, this programme demonstrates how even in active crisis zones, structured knowledge sharing can deliver immediate improvements in service quality.

    Artificial Intelligence as co-worker: Redefining power in global health

    As technological tools transform global health practice, a new thought-provoking podcast (led, of course, by Artificial Intelligence hosts) examines how AI could reshape knowledge production in resource-constrained settings.

    Based on TGLF’s Reda Sadki’s new article and framework for AI in global health, the podcast uses a specific case study to explore the “transparency paradox” practitioners face – navigating how to incorporate AI tools within existing global health accountability structures.

    The podcast outlines TGLF’s framework for integrating AI responsibly in global health contexts, emphasizing: “It’s not about replacing human expertise, it’s about making it stronger.” This approach prioritizes local context and community empowerment while ensuring ethical considerations remain central.

    As technological adoption accelerates across global health settings, frameworks that recognize existing dynamics become increasingly essential for ensuring equitable benefits.

    Read the full article: Artificial intelligence, accountability, and authenticity: knowledge production and power in global health crisis

    Women inspiring women: Amplifying voices from the frontlines

    The “Women Inspiring Women” initiative amplifies the experiences of 177 women health workers from Africa, Asia, and Latin America through both a published book and peer learning course launched on International Women’s Day (IWD).

    These women share personal stories and advice written as letters to their daughters, offering unique perspectives from cities, villages, refugee camps, and conflict zones. Dr. Eugenia Norah Chigamane from Malawi writes: “Pursuing a career in health work is not for the faint hearted,” while Kinda Ida Louise, a midwife from Burkina Faso, advises: “Never give up in the face of obstacles and difficulties, because there is always a positive point in every situation.”

    The initiative follows TGLF’s proven methodology: immersion in stories, personal reflection, peer exchange, and developing action plans – transforming personal narratives into structured learning that drives institutional change. With women forming two-thirds of the global health workforce yet remaining underrepresented in leadership, this approach addresses both individual empowerment and systemic transformation.

    Get the book “Women inspiring women” and enroll in the free learning course here.

    As we face an era of unprecedented funding constraints in global health, these examples demonstrate a powerful truth: networked learning approaches consistently deliver remarkable outcomes across diverse contexts.

    By connecting practitioners across boundaries, The Geneva Learning Foundation facilitates the transformation of individual knowledge into collective action – creating the resilience and adaptability our health systems urgently need.

    The evidence is compelling: investing in human knowledge networks may be among the most efficient pathways to sustainable health impact.

    Image: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2025

  • Peer learning for Psychological First Aid: New ways to strengthen support for Ukrainian children

    Peer learning for Psychological First Aid: New ways to strengthen support for Ukrainian children

    This article is based on Reda Sadki’s presentation at the ChildHub “Webinar on Psychological First Aid for Children; Supporting the Most Vulnerable” on 6 March 2025. Learn more about the Certificate peer learning programme on Psychological First Aid (PFA) in support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Get insights from professionals who support Ukrainian children.

    “I understood that if we want to cry, we can cry,” reflected a practitioner in the Certificate peer learning programme on Psychological First Aid (PFA) in support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine – illustrating the kind of personal transformation that complements technical training.

    During the ChildHub “Webinar on Psychological First Aid for Children; Supporting the Most Vulnerable”, the Geneva Learning Foundation’s Reda Sadki explained how peer learning provides value that traditional training alone cannot deliver. The EU-funded program on Psychological First Aid (PFA) for children demonstrates that practitioners gain five specific benefits:

    First, peer learning reveals contextual wisdom missing from standardized guidance. While technical training provides general principles, practitioners encounter varied situations requiring adaptation. When Serhii Federov helped a frightened girl during rocket strikes by focusing on her teddy bear, he discovered an approach not found in manuals: “This exercise helped the girl switch her focus from the situation around her to caring for the bear.”

    Second, practitioners document pattern recognition across diverse cases. Sadki shared how analysis of practitioner experiences revealed that “PFA extends beyond emergency situations into everyday environments” and “children often invent their own therapeutic activities when given space.” These insights help practitioners recognize which approaches work in specific contexts.

    Third, peer learning validates experiential knowledge. One practitioner described how simple acknowledgment of feelings often produced visible relief in children, while another found that basic physical comforts had significant psychological impact. These observations, when shared and confirmed across multiple practitioners, build confidence in approaches that might otherwise seem too simple.

    Fourth, the network provides real-time problem-solving for urgent challenges. During fortnightly PFA Connect sessions, practitioners discuss immediate issues like “supporting children under three years” or “recognizing severe reactions requiring referrals.” As Sadki explained, these sessions produce concise “key learning points” summarizing practical solutions practitioners can immediately apply.

    Finally, peer learning builds professional identity and resilience. “There’s a lot of trust in our network,” Sadki quoted from a participant, demonstrating how sharing experiences reduces isolation and builds a supportive community where practitioners can acknowledge their own emotions and challenges.

    The webinar highlighted how this approach creates measurable impact, with practitioners developing case studies that transform tacit knowledge into documented evidence and structured feedback that helps discover blind spots in their practice.

    For practitioners interested in joining, Sadki outlined multiple entry points from microlearning modules completed in under an hour to more intensive peer learning exercises, all designed to strengthen support to children while building practitioners’ own professional capabilities.

    This project is funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of TGLF, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

    Illustration: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2025

  • The cost of inaction: Quantifying the impact of climate change on health

    The cost of inaction: Quantifying the impact of climate change on health

    This World Bank report ‘The Cost of Inaction: Quantifying the Impact of Climate Change on Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries’ presents new analysis of climate change impacts on health systems and outcomes in the regions that are bearing the brunt of these impacts.

    Key analytical insights to quantify climate change impacts on health

    The report makes three contributions to our understanding of climate-health interactions:

    First, it quantifies the massive scale of climate change impacts on health, projecting 4.1-5.2 billion climate-related disease cases and 14.5-15.6 million deaths in LMICs by 2050. This represents a significant advancement over previous estimates, which the report demonstrates were substantial underestimates.

    Second, it illuminates the profound economic consequences, calculating costs of $8.6-20.8 trillion by 2050 (0.7-1.3% of LMIC GDP). The report employs both Value of Statistical Life and Years of Life Lost approaches to provide a range of economic impact estimates.

    Third, it reveals stark geographic inequities in impact distribution, with Sub-Saharan Africa bearing approximately 71% of cases and nearly half of deaths, while South Asia faces about 18% of cases and a quarter of deaths. This spatial analysis helps identify where interventions are most urgently needed.

    Policy implications and systemic perspectives

    The report’s findings point to several critical policy directions:

    • The need for systemic rather than disease-specific interventions emerges as a central theme. The authors explicitly advocate for strengthening entire health systems rather than pursuing vertical disease programs.
    • The economic analysis makes a compelling case for immediate action, demonstrating that the costs of inaction far exceed potential investment requirements for climate-resilient health systems.
    • The geographic distribution of impacts highlights the need for globally coordinated responses while prioritizing support for the most vulnerable regions.

    The findings suggest that transforming systems to address climate change impacts on health requires not just technical solutions but fundamental rethinking of how health systems are organized and financed in vulnerable regions.

    This aligns with recent scholarship on complex adaptive systems and organizational transformation in global health.

    The report’s emphasis on systemic approaches represents a significant shift in thinking about climate-health interventions. This merits unpacking on several levels:

    1. Inadequacy of vertical disease silos: The report challenges the traditional vertical disease management paradigm that has dominated global health programming for decades. While vertical programs have achieved notable successes in areas like HIV/AIDS or malaria control, the report argues that climate change’s multifaceted health impacts require a fundamentally different approach.
    2. Need for systemic intervention: Climate change simultaneously affects multiple disease pathways, nutrition status, and health infrastructure. These interactions cannot be effectively addressed through isolated disease-specific programs. Building core health system capabilities (surveillance, emergency response, primary care) creates multiplicative benefits across various climate-related health challenges. Strong health systems can better identify and respond to emerging threats, whereas vertical programs often lack this flexibility.
    3. Implementation implications: The report suggests this systemic approach requires: integrated planning across health system components, flexible funding mechanisms that support system-wide capabilities, enhanced coordination between different health programmes and investment in cross-cutting infrastructure and capabilities.

    What about the health workforce facing impacts of climate change on health?

    Between this clear-eyed assessment and effective action lies a critical implementation gap.

    Interestingly, the report gives limited explicit attention to the health workforce dimension of climate-health challenges. Yet that is precisely where we need to focus attention, given that:

    • Health workers based in communities are first responders to climate-related health emergencies
    • Workforce capacity significantly determines a health system’s adaptive capabilities
    • Climate change itself affects health worker distribution and effectiveness

    Given the report’s emphasis on systemic approaches, the lack of detailed discussion about human resources for health represents a missed opportunity to explore what effective action might look like.

    The Geneva Learning Foundation’s network, developed through nearly a decade of research and practice, has led us to identify a path for supporting the health workforce to strengthen preparedness and response in response to climate change impacts on health.

    The network already connects over 60,000 health workers. They represent all job roles, rank, and levels of the health system.

    One distinguishing feature of this network is its deep integration with existing government health systems. Over half of network participants are government employees, from community health workers to district officers to national planners.

    62% of participants work in remote rural areas, 47% serve urban poor populations, and 21% operate in conflict zones.

    These are not just statistics: they represent an unprecedented capability to mobilize knowledge and action where it’s most needed.

    Since 2023, network participants have been sharing observations, experiences, and insights of climate change impacts on health. 

    The model connects different levels of health systems:

    • Community-based health workers share ground-level observations
    • District managers identify emerging patterns
    • National planners gauge system-wide implications
    • Global partners access real-time insights

    When a malaria control officer in Kenya observes changing disease patterns due to altered rainfall, the network enables rapid sharing of this insight with colleagues working on water safety, nutrition, and primary care. These cross-domain connections do not need to be left to chance – they can be enabled through structured peer learning processes that transcend traditional programme, geographic, and hierarchical boundaries

    This creates what organizational theorists call “embedded transformation” – where system change emerges through existing structures rather than requiring new ones.

    Rather than creating new coordination mechanisms, the network enables:

    • Health workers to learn directly from peers in other programs
    • Rapid identification of cross-cutting challenges
    • Spontaneous formation of problem-solving groups
    • Systematic sharing of effective practices

    Rather than replacing existing structures, TGLF’s model demonstrates how digital networks can enable health systems to:

    • Maintain necessary specialization while fostering crucial connections
    • Enable rapid learning and adaptation across programs
    • Optimize resource use through enhanced coordination
    • Build system-wide resilience through structured peer learning

    Such a network enables what complexity theorists call “distributed sensing” that can provide:

    • Early warning of emerging threats
    • Rapid sharing of local solutions
    • System-wide learning from local innovations
    • Continuous adaptation to changing conditions

    This has led us to posit that investment in such emergent digital networks could enable health systems to maintain necessary specialization while fostering crucial connections across domains.

    This is obviously critical to respond to the systems-level complexity of climate change impacts on health.

    World Bank findingTGLF model strategic fit
    Scale of impact (4.1-5.2B cases, 14.5-15.6M deaths by 2050)TGLF’s digital network model demonstrates scalability, already connecting over 60,000 health practitioners across 137 countries. More significantly, the model’s effectiveness increases with scale – as more practitioners join, the network’s ability to identify emerging threats and disseminate effective responses improves. Network analysis shows that larger scale enables more diverse inputs and faster adaptation, suggesting this approach could help health systems respond to the massive scale of projected impacts.
    Economic consequences ($8.6-20.8T by 2050)TGLF’s model offers remarkable cost-effectiveness through its networked learning structure. Rather than requiring massive new investments in parallel systems, it leverages existing health system resources while enabling and accelerating both learning and action. The model demonstrates how digital infrastructure can maximize return on investment – practitioners implement solutions using existing resources, with 82% reporting ability to continue without external support. This suggests potential for significant cost savings while building system resilience.
    Geographic inequities (71% SSA, 18% SA)TGLF’s network already demonstrates strongest presence precisely where the World Bank identifies greatest need – 70% of participants work in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This concentration is not coincidental; the model’s digital infrastructure and peer learning approach prove particularly effective in resource-constrained settings. The network enables rapid sharing of context-appropriate solutions between regions facing similar challenges, while maintaining sensitivity to local conditions.
    Need for systemic interventionThe network transcends traditional program boundaries through what organizational theorists call “structured emergence” – practitioners naturally form cross-program connections based on shared challenges. When a malaria control officer observes changing disease patterns due to climate shifts, the network enables rapid sharing with colleagues in water safety, nutrition, and primary care. This organic integration emerges through peer learning rather than requiring new coordination mechanisms.
    Urgency of investmentTGLF’s model offers an immediately scalable approach that builds on existing health system capabilities. Rather than waiting years to develop new infrastructure, the network can rapidly expand to connect more practitioners and regions. Evidence shows 7x acceleration in implementation of new approaches compared to conventional means of technical assistance, suggesting potential for rapid, sustainable strengthening of health system resilience.
    Global coordination needWhile enabling global connection, the network maintains strong local grounding through its emphasis on locally-led action and contextual adaptation. Government health workers comprise over 50% of participants, creating what scholars term “embedded transformation” – change emerging through existing structures rather than imposed from outside. This enables coordinated response while respecting local health system authority.
    System transformationThe model demonstrates how digital networks can fundamentally transform how health systems operate without requiring complete restructuring. By enabling rapid knowledge flow across traditional boundaries, supporting emergence of new coordination patterns, and fostering system-wide learning, it shows how transformation can emerge through enhanced connection rather than structural overhaul. Analysis reveals development of new capabilities in surveillance, response, and adaptation through networked learning.

    Reference

    Uribe, J.P., Rabie, T., 2024. The Cost of Inaction: Quantifying the Impact of Climate Change on Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. The World Bank, Washington, D.C. https://doi.org/10.1596/42419

    Image: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2024

  • You are not alone: Health workers are sharing how they protected their communities when extreme weather hit

    You are not alone: Health workers are sharing how they protected their communities when extreme weather hit

    Today, The Geneva Learning Foundation launched a new set of “Teach to Reach Questions” focused on how health workers protect community health during extreme weather events. This initiative comes at a crucial time, as world leaders at COP29 discuss climate change’s mounting impacts on health.

    As climate change intensifies extreme weather events worldwide, health workers are often the first to respond when disasters strike their communities. Their experiences – whether facing floods, droughts, heatwaves, or storms – contain vital lessons that could help others prepare for and respond to similar challenges.

    Read the eyewitness report: From community to planet: Health professionals on the frontlines of climate change, Online. The Geneva Learning Foundation. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10204660

    Why ask health workers about floods, droughts, and heatwaves?

    “Traditional surveys often ask for general information or statistics,” explains Charlotte Mbuh of The Geneva Learning Foundation. “Teach to Reach Questions are different. We ask health workers to share specific moments – a time when they had to act quickly during a flood, or how they kept services running during a drought. These stories of extreme weather events reveal not just what happened, but how people actually solved problems on the ground.”

    The questions cover six key scenarios:

    1. Disease outbreaks during floods
    2. Health impacts of drought
    3. Care delivery during heatwaves
    4. Mental health support before, during, and after
    5. Maintaining healthcare access
    6. Quick action and local solutions to protect health

    Each scenario includes detailed prompts that help health workers recall and share the specifics of their experience: What exactly did they do? Who helped? What obstacles did they face? How did they know their actions made a difference?

    Strengthening local action: From individual experience to collective learning to protect community health

    What makes Teach to Reach Questions unique is not just how they are asked, but what happens next. Every experience of an extreme weather event shared becomes part of a larger learning process that benefits the entire community.

    “We don’t just collect these experiences – we give them back,” says Reda Sadki, President of The Geneva Learning Foundation. “Whether someone shares their own story or not, they gain access to the complete collection of experiences of extreme weather events. This creates a virtuous cycle of peer learning, where solutions discovered in one community can help another on the other side of the world.”

    The process unfolds in four phases:

    1. Experience Collection: Health workers share their stories through structured questions ahead of the live Teach to Reach event
    2. Live Event: During the Teach to Reach live event, Contributors who shared their experience are invited to do so in plenary sessions. Everyone can listen in – and join one-to-one networking sessions to learn from the experiences of colleagues from all over the world.
    3. Analysis and Synthesis: After the live event, the Foundation’s Insights team works with the Teach to Reach community to identify patterns, innovations, and key lessons
    4. Knowledge Sharing: Insights are returned to the community through comprehensive collections of experiences, thematic insights reports, and Insights Live sessions

    Building momentum for Teach to Reach 11

    These questions are part of the lead-up to Teach to Reach 11, scheduled for December 5-6, 2024. The experiences shared will inform discussions among the 23,000+ registered participants from over 70 countries.

    “But the learning starts now,” emphasizes Mbuh. “Health workers who request their invitation today can immediately begin sharing and learning from peers. The earlier they join, the more they can benefit from this collective knowledge exchange.”

    Why protecting community health against extreme weather events matters

    As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, the expertise of health workers who have already faced these challenges becomes increasingly valuable.

    “These aren’t just stories – they’re a vital source of knowledge for protecting community health in a changing climate,” says Sadki. “By sharing them widely, we help ensure that health workers everywhere are better prepared when extreme weather strikes their communities.”

    Health professionals interested in participating can request their invitation.

    Listen to the Teach to Reach podcast:

    Is your organisation interested in learning from health workers? Learn more about becoming a Teach to Reach partner.

    Image: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2024

  • Why answer Teach to Reach Questions?

    Why answer Teach to Reach Questions?

    Have you ever wished you could talk to another health worker who has faced the same challenges as you? Someone who found a way to keep helping people, even when things seemed impossible? That’s exactly the kind of active learning that Teach to Reach Questions make possible. They make peer learning easy for everyone who works for health.

    What are Teach to Reach Questions?

    Once you join Teach to Reach (what is it?), you’ll receive questions about real-world challenges that matter to health professionals.

    How does it work?

    1. You choose what to share: Answer only questions where you have actual experience. No need to respond to everything – focus on what matters to you.
    2. Share specific moments: Instead of general information, we ask about real situations you’ve faced. What exactly happened? What did you do? How did you know it worked?
    3. Learn from others: Within weeks, you’ll receive a collection of experiences shared by health workers from over 70 countries. See how others solved problems similar to yours.

    What’s different about these questions?

    Unlike typical surveys that just collect data, Teach to Reach Questions are active learning that:

    • Focus on your real-world experience.
    • Help you reflect on what worked (and what didn’t).
    • Connect you to solutions from other health workers.
    • Give back everything shared to help everyone learn.

    See what we give back to the community. Get the English-language collection of Experiences shared from Teach to Reach 10. The new compendium includes over 600 health worker experiences about immunisation, climate change, malaria, NTDs, and digital health. A second collection of more than 600 experiences shared by French-speaking participants is also available.

    What’s in it for you?

    Peer learning happens when we learn from each other. Your answers can help others – and their answers can help you.

    1. Get recognized: You’ll be honored as a Teach to Reach Contributor and receive certification.
    2. Learn practical solutions: See how other health workers tackle challenges like yours.
    3. Make connections: At Teach to Reach, you’ll meet others who have been sharing and learning about the same issues.
    4. Access support: Global partners will share how they can support solutions you and other health workers develop.

    A health worker’s experience

    Here is what on community health worker from Kenya said:

    “When flooding hit our area, I felt so alone trying to figure out how to keep helping people. Through Teach to Reach, I learned that a colleague in another country had faced the same problem. Their solution helped me prepare better for the next flood. Now I’m sharing my experience to help others.”

    Think about how peer learning could help you when more than 23,000 health professionals are asked to share their experience on a challenge that matters to you.

    Ready to start?

    1. Request your invitation to Teach to Reach now.
    2. Look for questions in your inbox.
    3. Share your experience on topics you know about.
    4. Receive the complete collection of shared experiences.
    5. Join us in December to meet others face-to-face.

    Remember: Your experience, no matter how small it might seem to you, could be exactly what another health worker needs to hear.

    The sooner you join, the more you’ll learn from colleagues worldwide.

    Together, we can turn what each of us knows into knowledge that helps everyone.

    Listen to the Teach to Reach podcast:

    Is your organisation interested in learning from health workers? Learn more about becoming a Teach to Reach partner.

    Image: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2024

  • Teach to Reach’s new leadership network connects health organizations tackling common challenges

    Teach to Reach’s new leadership network connects health organizations tackling common challenges

    The Geneva Learning Foundation is launching REACH (Relate, Engage, Act, Connect, Help), a new leadership network to connect local, national, and international leaders of health organizations who are solving similar problems in different countries.

    Launching November 6, 2024 REACH responds to an unexpected outcome of Teach to Reach, a peer learning platform that–in less than four years–has already documented over 10,000 local solutions and experiences to health challenges by connecting more than 60,000 participants across 77 countries.

    When organizations began formally participating in Teach to Reach in June 2024, many leaders discovered they were tackling similar challenges.

    A digital immunization tracking system in Rwanda sparked interest from several African countries.

    A community engagement approach to vaccine hesitancy in Nigeria resonated with teams in Kenya and Zimbabwe.

    These spontaneous connections led to the creation of REACH.

    What is Teach to Reach?

    “Teach to Reach is a place where you learn in the most formidable way. You’re learning from people’s experiences and it makes the learning very easy to adapt, very easy to replicate wherever you are,” says Ful Marine Fuen, Humanitarian Program Coordinator at Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services.

    Teach to Reach is a bilingual (French/English) peer learning platform where government health workers, local organizations, and frontline staff document, analyze, and share implementation solutions across borders.

    Half of all participants work in government health services, with around 80% based at district and facility levels where policy meets practice.

    The platform’s structured peer learning process includes pre-event experience sharing, live sessions for discussion and networking, and post-event analysis to capture insights.

    “It’s a meeting of giving and receiving. Because with Teach to Reach, we always learn from peers and we develop ourselves and develop others,” notes Arthur Fidelis Metsampito Bamlatol, Coordinator at AAPSEB Cameroon.

    From individual learning to organizational impact

    The impact of these connections is already visible.

    Nduka Ozor, Project Director at the Centre for HIV/AIDS and STD RESEARCH in Nigeria, describes how a single connection expanded his organization’s reach: “I was able to meet with a potential partner who stays in Australia. Something I thought is just an online stuff is moving into a greater partnership. We have had several meetings with other networks from that initial meeting, including with representatives of New York University.”

    These kinds of partnerships form naturally as organizations share their work.

    Imagine what else might happen as health leaders like these meet, connect, and learn:

    • In Rwanda, Albert Ndagijimana shared how his country achieved 95% childhood vaccination coverage through initiatives like digital tracking of immunization outreach
    • In Kenya, Samuel Mutambuki‘s organization works with other civil society groups to rehabilitate areas affected by illegal dumping and create community gardens
    • In Zimbabwe, Rebecca Chirenga’s team addresses how climate change and food insecurity are driving early marriage and teenage pregnancy, with half of girls dropping out before completing secondary school

    “It is essentially a framework that allows us to share experiences… to strengthen our capacities,” says Patrice Kazadi, Project Director at Save the Children International DR Congo. “The challenges in DRC can be the same as in Ivory Coast and what is done in Ivory Coast can also help address challenges in DRC.”

    REACH: A new network exclusively for Teach to Reach Partners

    REACH builds on this foundation but with an important distinction – it’s exclusively for leaders of organizations that have committed to partnership with Teach to Reach.

    Over 700 organizational leaders have already confirmed their participation, representing both government agencies and civil society organizations.

    The first REACH sessions will:

    1. Connect organizations working on similar challenges
    2. Share practical approaches that have worked in different contexts
    3. Facilitate direct conversations between organizational leaders
    4. Identify potential areas for collaboration

    How can organizations join REACH?

    To participate in REACH, organizations must complete all partnership steps for Teach to Reach:

    1. Attend a Partner briefing
    2. Complete the Partnership application
    3. Share the Teach to Reach announcement
    4. Have organizational leadership endorse participation
  • Making connections: Ghana’s Alumni of The Geneva Learning Foundation meet in Accra

    Making connections: Ghana’s Alumni of The Geneva Learning Foundation meet in Accra

    The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) will host its first physical-world meeting of Ghana Scholars and Alumni on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 in Accra. Seventy-two health professionals from across Ghana’s health system will participate in the evening event.

    The participants include staff from the Ghana Health Service, teaching hospitals, district health directorates, and non-governmental organizations. They represent all levels of the health system, with 8 working at the national level, 8 at regional facilities, 39 in district health services, and 13 in community-based programs.

    “This is a great opportunity for all health workers for impact,” says one participant, reflecting the anticipation among attendees.

    These professionals are alumni of TGLF’s programs, including the Movement for Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) and Teach to Reach initiatives, which focus on transforming global health strategies into practical, locally-adapted solutions.

    “TGLF’s learning platforms give us great information and knowledge that are feasible and can be applied in the field,” notes Gordon Yibey from the Asutifi South District.

    The meeting will feature a message from the Programme Manager of Ghana’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), followed by discussions on strengthening partnerships with Ghana Health Service and advancing immunization and responding to health of impacts of climate change, malaria, and NTDs. Participants will share experiences from their work and discuss challenges in implementing health programs across different contexts.

    To enable broad participation, the organizers have arranged a hybrid format. 31 participants will attend in person, while 39 will join remotely. This approach allows health workers from northern regions and remote districts to contribute their perspectives without traveling to Accra.

    As one participant from a civil society organization explains, “I will join remotely to avoid travelling and accommodation inconveniences since I am not a resident in Accra.”

    Another participant from Kintampo in the Bono East Region captures the spirit of anticipation: “Even though I’m not based in Accra, I can’t wait. I must be there as a member of TGLF Alumni.”

    The non-governmental health sector will be represented by staff of organizations that include the Community and Family Aid Foundation-Ghana, Seek to Save Foundation, and Restorative Seed Society, which work to complement government health services in various communities.

    Healthcare facilities with participating staff include teaching hospitals in Tamale, Sunyani, and Korle Bu, district hospitals, polyclinics, and community health centers. Several nursing training colleges will also participate, bringing perspectives from health education.

    The evening’s agenda includes discussions on:

    • Current challenges in Ghana’s health system
    • Implementation of Immunization Agenda 2030
    • Impact of climate change on health services and disease patterns
    • Malaria control and elimination strategies
    • Neglected Tropical Diseases, with specific focus on female genital schistosomiasis (FGS)
    • Service integration opportunities for primary health care (PHC)
    • Professional development opportunities
    • Collaboration between different levels and domains of the health system

    The meeting aims to facilitate knowledge sharing among health professionals and explore ways to strengthen Ghana’s health services through collaborative approaches grounded in The Geneva Learning Foundation’s innovative model to catalyze change led by health professionals working with communities.

    Another participant from looks ahead: “What next, after this historic encounter in Ghana for sustainable improvement and continued knowledge brokering exchange?”

    Painting: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2024

  • Why participate in Teach to Reach?

    Why participate in Teach to Reach?

    In global health, where challenges are as diverse as they are complex, we need new ways for health professionals to connect, learn, and drive change.

    Imagine a digital space where a nurse from rural Nigeria, a policymaker from India, and a WHO expert can share experiences, learn from each other, and collectively tackle global health challenges.

    That’s the essence of Teach to Reach.

    Welcome to Teach to Reach, a peer learning initiative launched in January 2021 by a collection of over 300 health professionals from Africa, Asia, and Latin America as they were getting ready to introduce COVID-19 vaccination.

    Four years later, the tenth edition of Teach to Reach on 20-21 June 2024 brought together an astounding 21,389 health professionals from over 70 countries.

    Discussion has expanded beyond immunization to include a range of challenges that matter for the survival and resilience of local communities.

    What makes this gathering extraordinary is not just its size, but its composition.

    Unlike traditional conferences dominated by high-level experts, 80% of Teach to Reach participants work at district and facility levels, bringing ground-level insights to global discussions.

    Half are government workers.

    One in five work for health in the context of armed conflict.

    Why do so many health workers join and contribute to Teach to Reach?

    The event’s success lies in its unique process.

    Weeks before the main event, participants start sharing their experiences through targeted questions.

    In June, these “Teach to Reach Questions” resulted in over 2,000 real-world stories and insights being collected and shared back with the community.

    This pre-event engagement ensures that when participants finally meet virtually, conversations are rich, relevant, and rooted in real-world challenges.

    During the two-day event, participants engage in a mix of plenary sessions, interactive workshops, and one-on-one networking.

    “It’s like speed dating for global health professionals,” jokes The Geneva Learning Foundation’s Charlotte Mbuh. “But instead of romantic connections, we’re forming professional bonds that can transform health outcomes in our communities.”

    This structure facilitates direct dialogue between global health leaders and frontline workers.

    How does this relate to the work done by global partners?

    Ahead of Teach to Reach 10, Dr. Kate O’Brien, Director of Immunization at WHO, noted, “Our job is to take everything that you all know at the grassroots level and bring it together into sort of that collated guidance.”

    Jaded global health staff may ask “So what?”.

    The impact of Teach to Reach extends far beyond the event itself.

    Health workers leading Teach to Reach helped create the Movement for Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030).

    This year, over 2,400 civil society and community-based organizations and at least as many local leaders engaged as as partners, creating a diverse network that spans from grassroots NGOs and local government agencies to global institutions like Gavi and UNICEF.

    Connections made through the network outlast the event itself, strengthening local action and creating new ways to inform global strategies.

    For global partners, Teach to Reach offers an unparalleled opportunity.

    Dr. Ephraim T. Lemango, Chief of Immunization at UNICEF, said: “We’ve said we want to listen and that co-creation is very important… This is exactly the type of innovative approach that we need to overcome the complex challenges we are faced with in global health.”

    Teach to Reach 10 demonstrated the event’s growing impact and reach:

    • Diverse participation: 80% of attendees were district and facility-level health workers, providing ground-level perspectives often missing from global health dialogues.
    • Organizational engagement: 2,400 organizations participated in the partnership process, with 240 selected as official partners, spanning local NGOs to global institutions.
    • Thematic relevance: The event addressed critical issues like climate change’s impact on health, with insights from 4,700 health workers informing discussions.
    • Global-local collaboration: Sessions featured partnerships between international organizations and local implementers, such as UNICEF’s work on reaching zero-dose children in urban settings.
    • Tangible outcomes: Post-event surveys revealed that 99.7% of respondents reported increased motivation, and 97.4% learned something new and applicable to their work.

    We are pleased to announce Teach to Reach 11 that will be held on 5-6 December 2024.

    As Teach to Reach 11 approaches, the excitement is palpable.

    This year’s event promises to continue to explore critical issues like climate change’s impact on health, malaria, and immunization, bringing new partners seeking to listen and learn with communities.

    The running thread across all these issues is expressed in a groundbreaking Manifesto for investment in health workers, developed collaboratively by over 1,300 Teach to Reach participants.

    For those new to Teach to Reach, participating is straightforward.

    The event is free for health professionals from low and middle-income countries, with options for low-bandwidth participation to ensure inclusivity.

    Global organizations can join as partners, gaining access to a wealth of insights and opportunities through their respectful, meaningful engagement with health workers.

    By harnessing the collective wisdom of health professionals worldwide, Teach to Reach is creating a new paradigm for learning, collaboration, and action in global health.

    So, whether you’re a community health worker in rural Asia or a decision-maker at a global health institution, Teach to Reach invites you to be part of this transformative journey.

    Together, we can bridge the gap between global strategies and local realities, turning shared knowledge into powerful action for better health worldwide.

  • How will we turn a climate change and health resolution at the World Health Assembly into local action?

    How will we turn a climate change and health resolution at the World Health Assembly into local action?

    This video was prepared by the World Health Organization with voices of health workers speaking at the Special Event “From community to planet” hosted by The Geneva Learning Foundation.

    The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) has developed a new model that could help address the urgent challenge of climate change impacts on health by empowering and connecting health workers who serve communities on the receiving end of those impacts.

    This model leverages TGLF’s track record of facilitating large-scale peer learning networks to generate locally-grounded evidence, elevate community voices, and drive policy change.

    A key strength of TGLF’s approach is its ability to rapidly connect diverse networks of health workers across geographic and health system boundaries.

    For example, in March 2020, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, TGLF worked with a group of 600 of its alumni – primarily government staff working in local communities of Africa, Asia, and Latin America – to develop the Ideas Engine.

    Within two weeks, the Ideas Engine had connected over 6,000 immunization staff from 90 countries to share strategies for maintaining essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Within just 10 days, participants contributed 1,235 ideas and practices.

    They then developed and implemented recovery plans, learning from and supporting each other. 

    Within three months, over a third of participants reported successfully implementing their plans, informed by these crowdsourced insights.

    This illustrates how peer learning – a tenet of TGLF’s model – can facilitate and accelerate problem-solving.

    The Ideas Engine became a core component of TGLF’s model for turning knowledge into action, results, and impact.

    TGLF has also demonstrated the model’s effectiveness in informing global health policy initiatives.

    Working with the Wellcome Trust, TGLF mobilized – in the first year – over 8,000 health professionals from 99 low- and middle-income countries to take ownership of the goals of the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) strategy.

    This participatory approach generated over 500,000 data points in just four months, providing IA2030 stakeholders with valuable, contextually-grounded evidence to inform decision-making.

    Fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation among health workers lays the groundwork for a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable approach to global health in the face of accelerating climate change.

    Applying this model to the climate and health nexus, TGLF supported 4,700 health workers from 68 countries in 2023 to share observations of changes in climate and health in the communities they serve.

    Over 1,200 observations highlighted the diverse and severe consequences already being experienced.

    See what we learned: Investing in the health workforce is vital to tackle climate change: A new report shares insights from over 1,200 on the frontline

    This demonstrates the feasibility of rapidly generating a new kind of evidence base on local climate-health realities.

    Furthermore, if we assume that each health worker could reduce the climate-related health burden for those they serve by a modest five percent, a million health workers connected to and learning from each other could make a significant dent in climate-attributable disease and death. 

    This illustrates the model’s potential to achieve population-level impact, beyond sharing knowledge and strengthening capacity.

    At Teach to Reach 10 on 20-21 June 2024, over 20,000 health workers will be sharing experience of their responses to the impacts of climate change on health. Learn more…

    It is important to note that TGLF’s approach differs from models that work through health professional associations in several key ways.

    First, it directly engages health workers across all levels of the health system, not just those in leadership positions.

    Second, it focuses on peer learning and locally-led action, rather than top-down dissemination of information.

    Third, it leverages digital technologies to connect health workers across geographies and hierarchies, enabling rapid exchange of insights and innovations at the point of need.

    Finally, it embeds participatory and citizen science methods to ensure solutions are grounded in community needs and that everyone can contribute to climate and health science.

    TGLF’s model offers a complementary pathway to address current global priorities of generating novel evidence on climate-health impacts in ways that are directly relevant and useful to communities facing them.

    This model can help fill critical evidence gaps, identify locally-adapted solutions, and build momentum for transformative change.

    TGLF’s track record in mobilizing collective intelligence to drive impact in global health crises suggest transferability to the climate and health agenda.

    As the world grapples with the accelerating health threats posed by climate change, investing in health workers as agents of resilience has never been more urgent or important.

  • Climate change and health: Health workers on climate, community, and the urgent need for action

    Climate change and health: Health workers on climate, community, and the urgent need for action

    As world leaders gathered for the COP28 climate conference, the Geneva Learning Foundation called for the insights of health workers on the frontlines of climate and health to be heard amidst the global dialogue.

    Ahead of Teach to Reach 10, a new eyewitness report analyses 219 new insights shared by 122 health professionals – primarily those working in local communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America – to two critical questions: How is climate change affecting the health of the communities you serve right now? And what actions must world leaders take to help you protect the people in your care?

    (Teach to Reach is a regular peer learning event. The tenth edition on 20-21 June 2024 is expected to gather over 20,000 community-based health workers to share experience of climate change impacts on health. Request your invitation here.)

    Their answers paint a picture of the accelerating health crisis unfolding in the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. Community nurses, doctors, midwives and public health officers detail how volatile weather patterns are driving up malnutrition, infectious disease, mental illness, and more – while simultaneously battering health systems and blocking patient access to care.

    Yet woven throughout are also threads of resilience, ingenuity and hope. Health advocates are not just passively observing the impacts of climate change, but actively responding – often with scarce resources. From spearheading tree-planting initiatives to strengthening infectious disease surveillance to promoting climate literacy, they are innovating locally-tailored solutions.

    Importantly, respondents emphasize that climate impacts cannot be viewed in isolation, but rather as one facet of the interlocking crises of environmental destruction, poverty, and health inequity. Their insights make clear that climate action and community health are two sides of the same coin – and that neither will be achieved without deep investment in local health workforces and systems.

    Rooted in direct lived experience and charged with moral urgency, these frontline voices offer a stirring reminder that climate change is not some distant specter, but a life-and-death challenge already at the doorsteps of the global poor. As this new collection of insights implores, it’s high time their perspectives moved from the margins to the center of the climate debate.

    As Charlotte Mbuh of The Geneva Learning Foundation explains: “We hope that the chorus of voices will grow to strengthen the case for  why and how investment in human resources for health is likely to be a ‘best buy’ for community-focused efforts to build the climate resilience of public health systems.”

    Jones, I., Mbuh, C., Sadki, R., & Steed, I. (2024). Climate change and health: Health workers on climate, community, and the urgent need for action (1.0). The Geneva Learning Foundation. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11194918