The Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Foundation has announced a $5 million investment in the Africa Frontline First (AFF) Catalytic Fund, hosted by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB & Malaria, increasing its total commitment to $20 million. This investment supports the training and deployment of 200,000 professional community health workers (CHWs) across national health systems in Africa, aiming to bring care closer to underserved communities. The announcement was made during a UN General Assembly side event focused on strengthening health systems and addressing global health threats.
Since its launch in 2022, the AFF Catalytic Fund has mobilized $220 million from public and private sources to expand access to professional CHWs. To date, the fund has supported the recruitment, training, and integration of over 68,000 CHWs across eight priority African countries, positively impacting approximately 40 million people. This expansion underscores the critical role of CHWs in improving health outcomes, reducing costs, and extending the reach of health services in local communities.
The J&J Foundation’s investment forms part of J&J CareCommunity, the company’s global social impact platform aimed at supporting nurses and CHWs worldwide. Vanessa Broadhurst, J&J Executive Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs, highlighted that expanding the number of trained, professional CHWs and addressing the challenges they face could save millions of lives while strengthening locally-led health systems.
Despite their crucial role, CHWs make up only one-eighth of Africa’s health workforce, and most are unpaid. Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, emphasized that the expanded investment will professionalize, train, compensate, and integrate CHWs, unlocking their full potential to provide essential healthcare services.
The AFF Catalytic Fund is a collaborative initiative of Africa Frontline First, Africa CDC, and the Global Fund, with founding support from the J&J Foundation and the Skoll Foundation. The fund strategically supports sustainable financing, health system strengthening, digital tools, CHW professionalization, and reliable supply chains, aiming to scale 200,000 professional CHWs and deliver care to 100 million people by 2030. The initiative is led by African leaders, including former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The Johnson & Johnson Foundation, funded solely by Johnson & Johnson, focuses on closing health gaps by supporting global and in-country partnerships that empower CHWs and nurses, advancing equitable access to healthcare. Through its expertise in healthcare innovation, Johnson & Johnson aims to provide comprehensive, innovative solutions to prevent, treat, and cure complex diseases, improving health outcomes worldwide.
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