Community health volunteers’ capacity for hygiene behaviour change: evidence from urban Kenya

Community health volunteers (CHVs) play an important role in health service delivery and are increasingly involved in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) behaviour change promotion. However, the realities of CHVs work, engagement with the health sector, and daily challenges remain undocumented. This mixed-methods study explored CHVs capacity to deliver an infant hygiene intervention in an urban informal settlement in Kenya. Findings suggest that CHVs are overburdened, receive inconsistent training, and forced to compromise their commitments in order to sustain their own livelihood. Sustained efforts in appreciating the work of CHVs, sustained supplies for CHVs, operational training in communication behaviour change methods and notable efforts in breaking the vicious circle of poverty in informal settlements would go a long way in promoting healthy seeking behaviours.