Engaging Communities to Improve Health and Nutrition Outcomes: The Role of Community Volunteers in INHP

INHP adopted a multiple volunteer per village model, with one volunteer serving the immediate neighborhood of about 20-30 households to rationalize volunteer workloads and to ensure cultural compatibility. Capacities of these volunteers, called Change Agents, were built through a mix of structured training events and on-thejob support by AWW of the ICDS program and ANM of the health programs. This paper details the RACHNA’s experience with Change Agents and discusses the relevance of the experience for other large-scale community volunteer programs, particularly within the context of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN). [CARE WP No. 11].