Reaching the Last Mile
Founded in 2007, Last Mile Health exists to save lives in the world’s most remote communities and works to put a health worker within reach of everyone, everywhere.
Last Mile Health addresses a critical problem: illness is universal, but access to healthcare is not. Its work focuses on closing the gap between families who need care and the health systems too often out of their reach.
Today, 2 billion people live outside the reach of healthcare, and nearly 9 million die each year from preventable causes.
Through community health workers, Last Mile Health is providing lifesaving care through trusted, neighbor-to-neighbor relationships. By partnering with governments, the organization has embedded community health workers into national health systems – helping to reach millions of patients.
Today, the organization supports more than 20,000 professional community health workers, providing primary care to over 32 million people across Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone.
Last Mile Health was selected as the 2026 Hilton Humanitarian Prize recipient for demonstrating how strong community health systems can expand access to care at scale, reaching people who have historically been beyond the reach of healthcare.
Investing in Community Health Systems
In rural and remote communities, basic healthcare can be difficult or impossible to access. This has led to unacceptably high rates of maternal and child mortality, leaving many mothers without access to safe care during pregnancy and childbirth and too many children unable to reach their fifth birthday.
Professional community health workers can save as many as 3 million lives each year and play a critical role in improving the health of young children and mothers.
For nearly 20 years, Last Mile Health has partnered with governments to equip skilled and compassionate community health workers with the resources they need to provide essential primary healthcare in remote settings, helping expand access to care and improve health outcomes for millions. Since July 2023, over 10,000 lives of children under five have been saved due to Last Mile Health-supported community health workers.
Last Mile Health’s work extends beyond direct service. The organization also works with governments and partners to strengthen financing for community health workers. It co-founded Africa Frontline First, an initiative that has helped unlock $250 million in public financing for community health across Africa.
