Sustained volunteerism: Motivational factors of community health volunteers in Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zambia, and Nepal

Abstract

Objective: Community health volunteers (CHVs) provide significant contributions to the health and welfare of people in sub-Saharan Africa and Nepal. This study was to determine motivations for ongoing volunteerism.
Methods: A descriptive mixed methods design was used in this study, a survey included demographic, quantitative, and quantitative sections. One-on-one interviews were completed with 44 subjects from Nepal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Malawi during 2016-2019. Interviews were conducted orally using translators, allowing literate and illiterate healthcare workers to participate. SPSS was used to calculate the results. Open-ended questions were analyzed using thematic analytics.
Results: Having compassion for others, gaining health knowledge, and filling community needs ranked highest of the motivating factors queried. Hoping for employment, seeking recognition, and avoiding idleness ranked lowest.
Conclusions: Enabling CHVs to gain knowledge that supports their community’s needs contributes to the longevity of CHVs more than money.

Keywords

Community health workers / Community health volunteers / Sustained volunteerism / Motivational factors / Sub-Saharan Africa / Nepal