Over the past decade, there have been many international calls to strengthen and support/sustain research capacity in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This capacity is considered an essential foundation for cost-effective healthcare systems. While there have been long-standing investments by many countries and research funding organisations in the training of individuals for this purpose, in many LMICs research capacity remains fragmented, uneven and fragile. There is growing recognition that a more systems-oriented approach to research capacity-building is required. Nonetheless, there are considerable gaps in the evidence for approaches to capacity-building that are effective and sustainable. This book addresses these gaps, capturing what was learned from teams working on The Global Health Research Initiative. This book brings together the experiences of research capacity-building teams co-led by Canadians and LMIC researchers in several regions of the world, including Jamaica, Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda.

This book contains economic evaluation( Cost-Effectiveness Analysis) of Community Health Strategy in rural western Kenya which supports utilization of Community Health Workers in the promotion of uptake of maternal health services.The specific maternal health indicators in this book are Focused Antenatal Care(FANC) and Health Facility(HF) Delivery due to their low uptake by women which has led to perennial high maternal mortality rates in Kenya. Community Health Strategy was initiated in 2006 by the Ministry of Health in Kenya and hence information as to whether it is a cost-effective strategy especially during the implementation process is very important for evidence based decision making by policy makers. Furthermore, this book narrows down to the rural Kenyan population where their health seeking behaviours are low especially in terms of receiving medical care from a Health Facility.

This Book describes the utilization of data collected at community level using community based health information system by various stakeholders and its effectiveness in decision making. A Community based health Information System (CBHIS) is a type of health information system that is based in the rural community and informal settlements of urban areas. Its objective is to produce relevant and quality information to support decision making. The CBHIS should hence strive to complement the functions of a health system which include: Improving decision-making, improving service delivery to the population and subsequently Impacting positively on the health outcomes of the target population at different levels of the health system.Health systems performance would be enhanced not only by bridging the interface between the community and the health system but also encouraging timely decision making and action based on available information.

A Community Based Health Information System (CBHIS) is a type of health information system that is based in the rural community and informal settlements of urban areas. Its objective is to produce relevant and quality information to support decision making. Performance of CBHIS should be measured both in terms of the quality of data and the evidence of continued use of data for improving the performance of the health system and, ultimately, the population's health status. This book focuses on 4 types of CBHIS that currently exist, their purpose(s) and data quality standards. The CBHIS should hence strive to complement the functions of a health system which include: Aiding decision-making, improving service delivery to the population and subsequently Impacting positively on the health outcomes of the target population at different levels of the health system.

In Sub Saharan Africa, generally and in particular Kenya, poor health status has persisted in the last two decades despite a number of measures put in place. Vision 2030 advocates for entrepreneurial development as a tool for socio economic development and yet there is lack of empirical evidence on the linkage between health and entrepreneurship in the improvement of health indicators among Community Health Workers (CHWs) and their communities. This study therefore aimed at filling this knowledge gap. The study adopted a retrospective observational and comparative cross-sectional design. The study's setting was in Kisumu East district in Kisumu County, Kenya. The population sample of this study was 205 Community Health Workers (CHW) and 205 matched clients. A censor of CHW was used to identify entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial respondents. Data collection method included observation and structured questionnaires for all the respondents. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics e.g. chi-Square and percentage. Objectives and Grand hypothesis were tested using logistic regressions analysis. Findings show that CHWs with high entreneurship have better Health indicators.

Globally, more than 600,000 women die annually from pregnancy related causes with more than half of the deaths occurring in Africa. More than 80% of these deaths occur either at home or during transportation time to the hospital. The World Health Organization underlines that most maternal deaths occur due to delays to access appropriate obstetric care. Lack of readily available, accessible, reliable, affordable and organized means of transportation for rural expectant women seeking obstetric care has been recognized as one of the risk factors contributing to these deaths. A number of studies have documented that means of transportation available for expectant women especially in resource poor settings are- uncomfortable, slow, unreliable, unaffordable and dehumanizing- thus, striping women respect and dignity. Provision of readily available, reliable, affordable and sustainable means of transportation to poor expectant women especially rural areas in Africa is key if developing countries wish to reduce home deliveries that have been recognized as a risk factor contributing to high maternal mortalities.

The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of CBVs, their categories and their motivation. The state alone cannot achieve MDGs by 2015. Health and development problems cannot be solved simply by external interventions, human connections established by CBV, are necessary. Working with volunteers is not completely without cost, it requires a support system to train and maintain them engaged and motivated. Studies appear to concentrate on Community Based Health Volunteers (CBHV), such as CHWs and TBAs . This study sought to find out the contribution of the different categories of CBV to the health and development work relevant to the achievement of the MDGs, their characteristics and how they are motivated.

Long term care for people with chronic illnesses and disabilities is a pressing issue globally. As demand for long term care increases, the assumption that extended family networks can meet all the needs of their members deteriorates. Caregiving can be a rewarding service to families and the community at large, however it has it's challenges; Caregiving burden and risk to one's own health. This book explores factors influencing practice of self care among caregivers of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHAs) as well as their practice of self care thereby providing a foundation for improved health status among caregivers of chronically ill persons. It also acts as a start point for policy makers in the area of caregiving.