In global health, where challenges are as diverse as they are complex, we need new ways for health professionals to connect, learn, and drive change.
Imagine a digital space where a nurse from rural Nigeria, a policymaker from India, and a WHO expert can share experiences, learn from each other, and collectively tackle global health challenges.
That’s the essence of Teach to Reach.
Welcome to Teach to Reach, a peer learning initiative launched in January 2021 by a collection of over 300 health professionals from Africa, Asia, and Latin America as they were getting ready to introduce COVID-19 vaccination.
Four years later, the tenth edition of Teach to Reach on 20-21 June 2024 brought together an astounding 21,389 health professionals from over 70 countries.
Discussion has expanded beyond immunization to include a range of challenges that matter for the survival and resilience of local communities.
What makes this gathering extraordinary is not just its size, but its composition.
Unlike traditional conferences dominated by high-level experts, 80% of Teach to Reach participants work at district and facility levels, bringing ground-level insights to global discussions.
Half are government workers.
One in five work for health in the context of armed conflict.
Why do so many health workers join and contribute to Teach to Reach?
The event’s success lies in its unique process.
Weeks before the main event, participants start sharing their experiences through targeted questions.
In June, these “Teach to Reach Questions” resulted in over 2,000 real-world stories and insights being collected and shared back with the community.
This pre-event engagement ensures that when participants finally meet virtually, conversations are rich, relevant, and rooted in real-world challenges.
During the two-day event, participants engage in a mix of plenary sessions, interactive workshops, and one-on-one networking.
“It’s like speed dating for global health professionals,” jokes The Geneva Learning Foundation’s Charlotte Mbuh. “But instead of romantic connections, we’re forming professional bonds that can transform health outcomes in our communities.”
This structure facilitates direct dialogue between global health leaders and frontline workers.
How does this relate to the work done by global partners?
Ahead of Teach to Reach 10, Dr. Kate O’Brien, Director of Immunization at WHO, noted, “Our job is to take everything that you all know at the grassroots level and bring it together into sort of that collated guidance.”
Jaded global health staff may ask “So what?”.
The impact of Teach to Reach extends far beyond the event itself.
Health workers leading Teach to Reach helped create the Movement for Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030).
This year, over 2,400 civil society and community-based organizations and at least as many local leaders engaged as as partners, creating a diverse network that spans from grassroots NGOs and local government agencies to global institutions like Gavi and UNICEF.
Connections made through the network outlast the event itself, strengthening local action and creating new ways to inform global strategies.
For global partners, Teach to Reach offers an unparalleled opportunity.
Dr. Ephraim T. Lemango, Chief of Immunization at UNICEF, said: “We’ve said we want to listen and that co-creation is very important… This is exactly the type of innovative approach that we need to overcome the complex challenges we are faced with in global health.”
Teach to Reach 10 demonstrated the event’s growing impact and reach:
- Diverse participation: 80% of attendees were district and facility-level health workers, providing ground-level perspectives often missing from global health dialogues.
- Organizational engagement: 2,400 organizations participated in the partnership process, with 240 selected as official partners, spanning local NGOs to global institutions.
- Thematic relevance: The event addressed critical issues like climate change’s impact on health, with insights from 4,700 health workers informing discussions.
- Global-local collaboration: Sessions featured partnerships between international organizations and local implementers, such as UNICEF’s work on reaching zero-dose children in urban settings.
- Tangible outcomes: Post-event surveys revealed that 99.7% of respondents reported increased motivation, and 97.4% learned something new and applicable to their work.
We are pleased to announce Teach to Reach 11 that will be held on 5-6 December 2024.
As Teach to Reach 11 approaches, the excitement is palpable.
This year’s event promises to continue to explore critical issues like climate change’s impact on health, malaria, and immunization, bringing new partners seeking to listen and learn with communities.
The running thread across all these issues is expressed in a groundbreaking Manifesto for investment in health workers, developed collaboratively by over 1,300 Teach to Reach participants.
For those new to Teach to Reach, participating is straightforward.
The event is free for health professionals from low and middle-income countries, with options for low-bandwidth participation to ensure inclusivity.
Global organizations can join as partners, gaining access to a wealth of insights and opportunities through their respectful, meaningful engagement with health workers.
By harnessing the collective wisdom of health professionals worldwide, Teach to Reach is creating a new paradigm for learning, collaboration, and action in global health.
So, whether you’re a community health worker in rural Asia or a decision-maker at a global health institution, Teach to Reach invites you to be part of this transformative journey.
Together, we can bridge the gap between global strategies and local realities, turning shared knowledge into powerful action for better health worldwide.