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Frontline Health Justice
Our health advocates work on the ground in 77 health facilities and catchment communities to bridge the gap between policy and practice.
Frontline Health Justice
Building awareness of health rights
Traditional health education covers the basics — how HIV is transmitted, why birth spacing matters, how to prevent malaria. But most people still don't know who qualifies for TB prevention treatment, what screenings pregnant women are entitled to, or how to read their own lab results. Matimba goes further. Our programs ensure communities understand their fundamental rights — including the right to dignity, privacy, and information about their diagnosis and treatment options — as well as their entitlements under health policy. Through community sessions and radio programs reaching even the most remote areas, we help people raise their expectations of healthcare.
Breaking down barriers to care
Health advocates work with patients and communities to identify and resolve barriers to care, supporting those who need it most – adolescent girls and women, people living with HIV and TB, and people with disabilities. Together they identify root causes, develop solutions, and ensure patients' voices drive real change.
Fostering community leadership
Village health committees exist across many countries — but their potential is largely untapped. Too often they're limited to basic tasks like cleaning the facility or supporting vaccination campaigns, and sidelined from addressing the real barriers that drive people away from care. Matimba's health advocates change that. We build committee members' knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage patients and providers in real dialogue, push for better services, and claim their seat at the table. And by connecting these committees into national networks, we turn local conversations into collective action.
Supporting health workers to deliver dignified care
Most health workers are committed to their patients — but too often they're under-resourced, unsupported, and resigned to a system they feel powerless to change. Matimba works to shift that dynamic. We train and mentor health facility staff — from clinicians to receptionists — fostering a culture of empathy, clear communication, and problem-solving. We also partner with the Ministry of Health to strengthen patient support offices — ensuring patients have somewhere to turn and that concerns get heard and resolved.
Building Community Power and Participation
We don't just serve communities — we help build their power to lead change. Matimba helps women and marginalized groups organize to shape the decisions and systems that affect their lives by:
- Advocating for gender equity and inclusion of marginalized voices on village health committees
- Securing community participation in health planning and budgeting processes
- Bringing patient and community voices into decision-making spaces — from national policy working groups to meetings with donors and government
- Building skills in public speaking, media engagement, and advocacy
Our Other Pillars
Our Theory
of Change
of Change
Health System Transformation
Health Justice
at Scale
at Scale