Healthy Villages : A Guide for Communities and Community Health Workers

The health of individuals, and of the communities in which they live, is determined by a variety of factors including income, the quality of available health care services, access to and use of adequate sanitation and safe water supplies, and environmental conditions.

Although many initiatives must come from the national level, much can be done to address health and quality-of-life issues at the community level by appropriate mobilization of local human and financial resources - the basis of a "Healthy Villages" project.

Covering topics such as provision of health care, water and sanitation, drainage, waste management, housing quality, and domestic and community hygiene, this guide is intended to provide community leaders with the type of information they need to implement and sustain a "Healthy Villages" project.

It is not intended as a global prescription for improving health in rural communities, but rather as source material for adaptation to local needs and conditions.