Social & Behavioral Health
Medical Science Cures. Community Trust and Engagement Heals.
True health systems strengthening goes beyond infrastructure, logistics, supply chains, and clinical practitioners — it requires a deep understanding of human behaviors, social norms, and cultural contexts that dictate how care is both sought and delivered.
Community relationships influence whether people seek and continue care and AIHA is working with our partners to bridge the gap between capacity and community impact by equipping local health workers with the social and behavioral tools they need to listen to their clients, build trust with them, and help dismantle existing misconceptions and stigma that often inhibit access to care.
PROGRAM EXAMPLE
In Nigeria, AIHA supported orphans and vulnerable children through our role in the USAID-funded Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award from 2019 to 2025. The project strengthened training for social workers, created certification pathways for Auxiliary Social Workers, and expanded community-based support for children and caregivers. AIHA also supported interventions in positive parenting, education, child protection, mental health counseling, birth registration, adolescent clubs, caregiver forums, and community child protection committees through this project. Selected outcomes include training 56,366 parents and enrolling 104,697 adolescents in a targeted behavior change program across the five target states.
RELATED PROJECTS