ABSTRACT
Background: The Kabeho Mwana project (2006–2011) supported the Rwanda Ministry of Health (MOH) in scaling up
integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illness in 6 of Rwanda’s 30 districts. The project trained
and equipped community health workers (CHWs) according to national guidelines. In project districts, Kabeho Mwana
staff also trained CHWs to conduct household-level health promotion and established supervision and reporting
mechanisms through CHW peer support groups (PSGs) and quality improvement systems.
Methods: The 2005 and 2010 Demographic and Health Surveys were re-analyzed to evaluate how project and nonproject
districts differed in terms of care-seeking for fever, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infection symptoms and
related indicators. We developed a logit regression model, controlling for the timing of the first CHW training, with the
district included as a fixed categorical effect. We also analyzed qualitative data from the final evaluation to examine
factors that may have contributed to improved outcomes.
Results: While there was notable improvement in care-seeking across all districts, care-seeking from any provider for
each of the 3 conditions, and for all 3 combined, increased significantly more in the project districts. CHWs contributed a
larger percentage of consultations in project districts (27%) than in non-project districts (12%). Qualitative data
suggested that the PSG model was a valuable sub-level of CHW organization associated with improved CHW
performance, supervision, and social capital.
Conclusions: The iCCM model implemented by Kabeho Mwana resulted in greater improvements in care-seeking than
those seen in the rest of the country. Intensive monitoring, collaborative supervision, community mobilization, and CHW
PSGs contributed to this success. The PSGs were a unique contribution of the project, playing a critical role in improving
care-seeking in project districts. Effective implementation of iCCM should therefore include CHW management and
social support mechanisms. Finally, re-analysis of national survey data improved evaluation findings by providing
impact estimates.
INTRODUCTION