The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is offering a cooperative agreement through the Advancing Community Health Activity (ACHA) to support Liberia's national community health program. This five-year initiative, funded up to $23 million, aims to expand access to quality community-based health services, focusing on reducing preventable morbidity and mortality through enhanced healthcare at the community level. The program is particularly focused on addressing maternal and child health, nutrition, water and sanitation (WASH), family planning, and disease surveillance across selected counties in Liberia, including Lofa, Bong, Grand Kru, and River Gee. ACHA also includes components to foster data-driven decision-making, leadership development, and sustainable health program financing.

This initiative is expected to recruit, train, and deploy community health assistants (CHAs) and engage various community health workers (CHWs) and trained traditional midwives. By integrating these workers into a structured community health workforce, USAID intends to strengthen Liberia’s primary healthcare system, particularly in underserved and rural areas located more than five kilometers from health facilities. In addition to service delivery, ACHA aims to build government capacity for effective management, governance, and policy oversight of the health program, and it will work closely with Liberia’s Ministry of Health and local government entities to ensure cohesive and standardized implementation.

Applicants must demonstrate a comprehensive approach to managing complex community health programs and exhibit strong organizational capacity for collaboration with government agencies and community organizations. USAID will assess applications based on the applicant’s proposed technical approach, staffing and management plans, institutional experience, and prior performance. Applicants are encouraged to show how they will address health disparities through gender-sensitive practices and innovative health delivery methods, including leveraging digital health tools to support data collection and disease surveillance.

Submissions for this funding opportunity must comply with USAID's administrative and technical guidelines, and applications must be received by the deadline of November 21, 2024, by 5:00 PM Liberia Local Time. Interested organizations should ensure they meet the eligibility criteria, including registration requirements in the System for Award Management (SAM) and the provision of a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). This funding opportunity also emphasizes the importance of collaboration and adaptive management through a co-creation process with USAID, which will be an opportunity to refine program strategies and align resources with Liberia's health objectives.

USAID’s Advancing Community Health Activity reflects its commitment to supporting Liberia's progress toward Universal Health Coverage by enhancing access to critical health services, fostering sustainable health infrastructure, and empowering local communities through a strengthened workforce and resilient healthcare systems.