Deadline: 08-Aug-2025
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation and the Government of Liberia, is implementing the Community Health Kiosk Initiative. This program seeks to professionalize and institutionalize the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce as a key component of Liberia’s national health strategy.
This Expression of Interest (EOI) focuses on the research component of the initiative. It aims to generate strong, context-specific evidence on the effectiveness, challenges, and opportunities of the Community Health Kiosk Initiative. The study will assess how integrating entrepreneurship through kiosks impacts the motivation, retention, and performance of Community Health and Nutrition Workers (CHNWs), as well as the accessibility and quality of essential health and nutrition services in communities.
The research will also evaluate how income-generating activities align with uninterrupted healthcare service delivery. It will examine regulatory and accountability mechanisms and provide actionable recommendations for scaling and sustaining the kiosk model within Liberia’s broader health system.
Key areas of analysis include economic empowerment by tracking income changes, job satisfaction, and CHNW retention rates. The research will also examine service integration, including how kiosk activities affect healthcare delivery such as referrals and nutrition counseling. It will explore models for scalability, including pricing strategies and supervision structures, and establish sustainability indicators like kiosk profitability and health outcomes.
The initiative covers sectors such as health, community nutrition, health governance, and health financing, and it targets counties across Liberia including Grand Kru, River Cess, Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, Montserrado, Grand Bassa, Bong, Nimba, and Grand Gedeh.
By 2028, the program aims to deploy 4,984 new CHWs, mainly young women, while upskilling 9,788 CHWs through gender-sensitive training, soft skills development, and career pathways. Liberia will integrate CHWs more deeply into its primary healthcare system, creating dignified employment opportunities, especially for youth and women.
The initiative also seeks to build a stronger evidence base for entrepreneurial models in community health. This includes increasing CHW financial stability through new revenue channels and identifying key research questions with stakeholders. At least 500 CHWs, 60% of whom will be women, are expected to participate in the research activities.
Selection for participation will be based on sector expertise, cost-effectiveness, prior experience working with the UN, innovation, clear and realistic timelines, alignment with expected results, strong project management, and a sustainable intervention strategy.
For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.
