HANDS has the honor to introduce a cadre of community based outreach health workers in areas where there is no LHW. This initiative was piloted in district Umerkot of Sindh and the community health worker was named Marvi after the popular female character that is also a symbol of women empowerment and integrity. The Marvi workers are local females who after getting trained provide health promotion services to their communities. There is a selection criterion for the Marvi and the process of selection, monitoring, supervision and reporting is carried out in close coordination with the local Community Based Organization (CBO). Just as the LHW model of community based health worker, Marvi worker is also assigned an approximate target of 1000 population or 100 to 150 household where she is responsible to provide health services. The core difference in LHW and Marvi model is that the Marvi workers are low literate females as compared to the LHW who are matriculate. Due to low female literacy especially in rural areas, the training contents and methodology for the training of Marvis is also different. Since more than 40% of the Marvis are either low literate or not literate, an LHV is appointed for 30 to 50 Marvis to provide technical and supportive supervision. The trained Marvis under the supervision of LHV provides services related to reproductive health, family planning, nutrition, WASH, MCH etc. Besides provision of health services the Marvi worker also sells social marketing products including safe delivery kit, sanitary pad, iodized salt and Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) and some essential drugs.Services Provided by Marvi in target area
Listing women of Child Bearing AgeListing of under 5 years children
Listing of Married women of Child Bearing Age for family planning services
Listing of Lactating women Listing of adolescent girls
Identification and listing of pregnant women for antenatal
Establishment of referral linkages with health facilities in
coordination with the CBO for complicated and high risk
Conduction of awareness raising session for promotion of
healthy behaviors among the communities Conduction of home visits to provide basic health services at the doorstep
Growth monitoring and nutrition counseling for under 5 year children
Counseling for promotion of immunization/vaccin ation of
under 5 year children, pregnant women and Child Bearing Age women
Referral of complicated cases Provision of family planning services with the technical
assistance of LHV Sale of social marketing products including
Identification, referral and follow up of psychosocial cases in the community
Identification, referral and follow up of physically disabled person in the community