Accessing the care you need when you need it should be a basic right. But this is far from being the reality for too many of Bupe’s peers in Zambia—and for millions across sub-Saharan Africa more widely. In fact, across the African continent, more than half of its people—around 615 million—are still not accessing the health care they need.

Beyond the numbers, this has a very tangible impact, often with life and death consequences, for the women, children, adolescents, and families m2m works with. From distant and under-resourced health clinics, to an increasingly complex web of health areas that affect our clients, the road to creating health for all is far from being smooth.

So as the world marks Universal Health Coverage Day today, under the theme “Build the world we want: A healthy future for all,” we at m2m couldn’t be more clear about what it will take to build the fairer, healthier world we want.

It comes down to one thing: Health Care For Families Who Need It Most, Delivered by Women Who Know Them Best.

Serving the needs of our clients and meeting them where they are has always been the driving force of what we do at m2m. At the heart of our work is our incredibly skilled, inspiring, and dedicated frontline team of female Community Health Workers—the almost 1,800 women living with HIV currently trained and employed by m2m as Mentor Mothers. They are the bridge to health care that is building the foundations of the healthier, more equal world the communities we work with need and deserve.

But a world where all can aspire to a healthy future will only come to fruition if we truly recognise the value and contribution of Community Health Workers and invest in their potential—from adequate and sustained support and training, to formal recognition and accreditation and fair remuneration, the time to match words with action is now.

m2m Mentor Mother delivering health education and support to her clients outside their home in Lesotho

With this year being about making smarter investments and accelerating efforts towards “Health for All,” the numbers speak for themselves—every $1 invested in Community Health Workers can generate as high as $10 in social and economic return. That is why—through m2m’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan—Community Health Workers, like Bupe, will bring even more transformational change to their communities. By delivering integrated primary health care services for HIV and beyond, they are making it easier for people to get the services they need, whenever and wherever they need them. By working with governments and implementing partners, they are providing an invaluable added resource and connection to communities, and leaving no one behind.