How Community Health Volunteers like Sita Are Improving Maternal Care in Nepal

Female Community Health Volunteer, Sita outside Taksindu Healthpost.

In the remote mountain villages of Nepal, access to healthcare is not simple. Communities are scattered across steep valleys and rugged hillsides, and the nearest hospital can be a day’s journey away. For the families living in these isolated communities, remote health posts are the main access to health care.

Described as the backbone of Nepal’s remote health system, Female Community Health Volunteers form a bridge between the health posts and the local people. As trusted voices, they play a pivotal role in the improvement of maternal health in Nepal. One of these volunteers is Sita Maya Adhikari.

Sita, a Female Community Health Volunteer in Taksindu, has spent years supporting women and their families. Travelling between remote settlements, she helps raise awareness about maternal, child health and adolescent health, and the services available at the local health posts.

A new mother receiving support during a lactation and nutrition consultation at the health post.

“We organise mothers' groups and provide them with supplies like vitamin supplements and worm medicine every six months. When we organise meetings we also try to base them on the season. For example, during the rainy season, we discuss issues like diarrhoea, and in winter we focus on coughs and colds. We also advise pregnant women on the benefits of delivery in the birthing centre.”

Before the local birthing centre was established, women in labour often had little choice but to give birth at home. When complications arose, help was far away. Sita was called to help even though she had no formal training. She recalls travelling long distances to assist mothers during delivery, often in difficult conditions.

“When there was no birthing centre here, mothers used to call me to their homes, even at night. I would go to help them and also give them advice on their concerns. Sometimes, I would take nurses with me to see them if it sounded serious.”

Mountain settlements near Taksindu are scattered across steep mountains and dense forest.

In the rainy season, swollen rivers and muddy mountain tracks make reaching families even harder. With villages spread far apart, getting professional medical support in time was often impossible. Despite these challenges, Sita continued to serve her community with compassion and determination. Over time, she became someone people relied on not only for advice, but for reassurance and care. 

“Helping others is a form of moral duty. There is mutual respect and they (the community) are very happy with the work that I have done for them.”

With support from the Australian Himalayan Foundation and our local partner Action for Nepal, health posts have received key medical equipment, particularly for maternal and child health, nurses and midwives have been trained and telehealth and laboratory services initiated. Female Community Health Volunteers like Sita have also received additional training and support, helping make safe healthcare more accessible in remote communities.

Instead of travelling to assist home births herself, Sita now encourages expecting mothers to seek care at their local health post, where they can give birth safely with trained medical staff. The change has been transformational.

Women who once faced dangerous journeys or risky home deliveries now have greater access to skilled care close to home. Families are more informed about healthcare, and local health volunteers like Sita continue to play a critical role in building trust and encouraging people to access the services.

Last year, through AHF’s Women’s Health Projects in the lower Solukhumbu and Khaptadchhanna, 100% of births were assisted by skilled health workers.

A local woman receives care at the health post by a trained health professional.

We are now adapting this same successful model of care for new projects in the Taplejung and Khotang districts, ensuring that Female Community Health Volunteers like Sita are supported to promote better healthcare and provide critical services to their communities.

Our health programs in Nepal is funded by generous Australian Himalayan Foundation donors with support from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP)..

Make a donation this end of financial year to provide communities like Sita’s with the resources they need to access medical care closer to home.

Read more about our Health Programs.