WHAT WE DO | ACCESS TO HEALTH PRODUCTS
Ensuring women and children have uninterrupted access to essential health commodities when and where they need it and in ways very convenient and accessible.
Products to People
For over 8 years, we have worked with national and local governments, communities and the private sector across Africa to improve access to quality health products (medicines, vaccines, medical supplies and prevention products) by building systems that deliver. Our experience in supply chain and pharmaceutical management enables us to ensure equitable, resilient and responsive access to essential health products at all levels of the health system, all the way to the last mile.
We also implement digital health information systems to improve end-to-end visibility into medical product data and support health workers, including supply chain managers and pharmacy staff, to provide better health care, for
Strengthening Supply Chains: Optimize, Integrate and Sustain
Our access to health products strategy focuses on three interconnected domains—Optimize, Integrate, and Sustain—that shape how we strengthen public health supply chains, pharmaceutical services and disease diagnosis for all patients. Together, these functions reflect a more efficient and practical systems-oriented approach that delivers lasting, equitable impact, all the way to the last mile.
Supply Chains for Community Health Workers
EmFor many people living in remote areas in Africa community health workers (CHWs) are their only touchpoint with the public health system. CHWs are critical to achieving health care for all in a cost-effective manner, but first they must be equipped with the health products they need to serve their communities. VillageReach works with governments and communities to design supply chain solutions that focus on CHW needs, and work to integrate them into national supply chain planning and implementation.
The Immunization Supply Chain
The Immunization Supply Chain – Strategic Focus Areas investment funds experimental, transformative, time-limited and sustainable vaccine-management activities.
Supply Chain Innovation
In collaboration with governments and the private sector VillageReach improved access to health products and vaccines through private sector drone transport. From 2022 to 2024 EWF used drone transport in Madagascar, and DRC to improve access to lifesaving medicines, vaccines, medical supplies and lab tests in remote areas, and to increase supply chains responsiveness to health emergencies and disease outbreaks. Through our Drones for Health program implementations, we learned drones can play a critical role in reaching geographically challenging areas quickly, both routinely and on-demand.
EWF continues to offer technical assistance to governments and their partners interested in exploring and scaling drone transport.