Guinea-Bissau is taking an important step towards strengthening its community health system and improving resilience to climate-related health risks through an innovative initiative to map and connect key health actors across the country.
The initiative builds on a nationwide geo-mapping exercise conducted in late 2025, which identified and geo-referenced 3,356 Community Health Workers. Implemented by the International Center for Health System Strengthening and financed through the Global Fund GC7 grant under the Building Integrated Readiness for Community Health project, the exercise provided, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of Guinea-Bissau’s community health workforce.
Building on this achievement, the Global Fund allocated an additional EUR 250,000 under GC7 to support Climate and Health activities during the final year of the grant, with implementation managed by the United Nations Development Programme. The initiative seeks to strengthen community-level health services while improving the country’s capacity to respond to the growing health impacts of climate change.
 

Mapping Traditional Healers across Guinea-Bissau
A central component of the initiative is the nationwide geo-mapping of traditional healers, locally known as curandeiros. This initiative is being implemented by the International Center for Health System Strengthening in close collaboration with the Directorate of Community Health Services and Promotion of Traditional Medicine.
The census, conducted from 1 to 18 July 2026, uses the Survey Solutions digital platform to collect information on traditional healers working in communities throughout the country. National- and regional-level training sessions were organized for health managers and supervisors, many of whom had previously participated in the mapping of Community Health Workers.
Field teams are visiting communities across Guinea-Bissau to identify, survey and geo-reference traditional healers. As of 13 July 2026, 1,561 active traditional healers had already been mapped.
The exercise goes beyond determining the number and location of practitioners. It will also generate information on the different categories of traditional healers, the conditions they commonly treat and their existing relationships with Community Health Workers and decentralized health facilities.
The census covers practitioners who use herbs, roots and medicinal plants, as well as those working through spiritual or mystical practices. It also includes matronas, or traditional birth attendants, who frequently support women in remote rural communities located far from formal health facilities.
Traditional healers are trusted community figures and are often the first point of contact for people seeking healthcare, particularly in underserved areas. The findings will therefore help inform future strategies to strengthen coordination, collaboration and referral mechanisms between traditional practitioners and the formal health system.
 

Towards an Integrated Community Health Database
By September 2026, the project is expected to establish an integrated geo-referenced database combining information on Community Health Workers and traditional healers at the health-area level.
The platform will provide health authorities with a clearer understanding of the human resources available within communities and could serve as a pilot model for replication in other countries in the region.
In collaboration with the National Public Health Institute, the database will subsequently be integrated into Guinea-Bissau’s National Health Information System, DHIS2. This will provide health authorities with a stronger planning and monitoring tool, supporting more informed decisions, improved coordination and more effective delivery of community health services.
 

Strengthening Climate Resilience at Community Level
The initiative will also contribute to Guinea-Bissau’s response to the increasing health risks associated with climate change.
During the final quarter of 2026, community-based organizations, civil society groups, Community Health Workers and traditional healers will participate in the development of health promotion messages aimed at strengthening collaboration and referral systems at the primary healthcare level.
Awareness campaigns will also be implemented to help communities understand and reduce the health impacts of extreme climate events, including floods, heatwaves and coastal erosion.
Community radio stations will play a central role in disseminating these messages, helping ensure that practical and accessible information reaches vulnerable populations, including people living in remote areas.
 

Building a More Connected Community Health System
The initiative represents an important milestone in strengthening Guinea-Bissau’s community health system by recognizing and connecting the different actors who contribute to healthcare at the local level.
By combining digital innovation, community engagement and climate adaptation, the project will generate valuable evidence for future health planning while promoting stronger collaboration between formal and traditional health systems.
The results of the traditional healers geo-mapping exercise are expected to be consolidated in August and publicly presented in early September 2026.