CBHC, a division of the Nazarene Health Ministries, commenced working with community groups in Western Highlands Province in 1995, and over the next five years expanded into neighbouring highlands provinces. Their principal aim is to provide holistic health care for communities through preventive, curative and health promotion activities. More generally, CBHC encourages communities to become self-reliant, self-regulating and productive. To do this CBHC embarks upon a comprehensive program of awareness raising, capacity building and training. Each community is assisted to establish a health and development committee, comprising local councilors, peace officers, and clan, youth and women leaders, to coordinate their development plans. These plans are then devolved to the clan level, at which volunteers implement the program activities and construct a focal meeting house at which local needs and issues are discussed for consideration by the committee. Communities must attain set minimum standards, in respect of family hygiene and community unity, to be accepted as a CBHC community and qualify for further assistance. The ultimate goal is the declaration of the community as a ‘Healthy Village’ after meeting all the set requirements.

The structure of a CBHC-trained community is as shown below (Nazarene Health Ministries 2002).

In late 1999 CBHC started working with the Pari-Andoware community in the east basin of Tari. Many of the activities shown in Figure 9.2 have been set in action since. Under the key health component, CBHC trained village health volunteers to dispense first aid drugs, and village birth attendants to perform deliveries. Arrangements are made with the Maternal and Child Health program nurses to visit communities so that the target of over 80 per cent vaccine coverage for women and children is attained. Under the law and order activity, two village police officers were trained to work in cooperation with the law enforcement authorities. The infrastructure program covers repairs to local roads and bridges through community participation. Among the agricultural activities were the procurement of coffee seedlings, arrangements with coffee buyers to visit communities, and the import of fingerlings for family fish ponds. There is also a small-scale project facility which provides seed money for projects on a 40/60 ratio of CBHC to the local community. At the household level a community cooperative credit scheme has been established to promote savings and loans for basic household needs.

By April 2003 CBHC was supporting six communities in different areas of the Tari basin. Each new community inducted into the CBHC program is regarded as a role model for others to follow. CBHC trains ‘trainers of community health volunteers’ from among these communities so that there is the capacity to induct new communities that have expressed peer interest in becoming part of the program.

In order to introduce a more community-oriented approach into the national and provincial health departments, CBHC runs training courses for government health workers at its headquarters in Western Highlands Province. Some CBHC training positions are funded by the Health Department. CBHC involves itself closely in district management committees and seeks partnerships with government departments, missions and other organisations assisting community development.