A Senegalese community health worker program founded under former President Abdoulaye Wade, beginning in 2009 across the country's 14 regions, that trains respected, experienced women to guide other women through pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. Bajenu Gox takes its name from the Wolof term for godmother, reflecting a program design built on an existing tradition of intergenerational solidarity among Senegalese women, in which a Bajenu Gox volunteer serves as a trusted intermediary between her community and the formal health system for reproductive, maternal and child health care. The network grew to roughly 8,600 volunteers, and Senegal recorded a fall in maternal mortality from 319 to 236 deaths per 100,000 live births and in neonatal mortality from 26 to 21 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2009 and 2017, a period national health officials and researchers credit in part to the programme's community-level reach.
Facts
Sponsoring BodyGovernment of Senegal, launched under President Abdoulaye Wade 1 Target Populationwomen, including teenagers, newlyweds and mothers, in Senegalese communities 1 Health Goalcommunity health workers who pass on maternal health knowledge to women through home visits and community information sessions 1 Geographic Scopenational, Senegal, across the country's 14 regions 1 Measured Resultsrelied on 8,600 women volunteers acting as intermediaries between health structures and the population 1 Classification
Program KindHealth Education Program 1 Connections
Delivers Practice
Entity-backed identity for the program-kind enum value this public health program already carries, resolved to a health practice by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The program-kind fact itself stays on the program unchanged.
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Africa, found in there.
Sources
1. Bajenu Gox, Senegal's health keepers (International Development Research Centre)
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)Body text, Wade 2010 sentence
To breathe new life into a similar initiative launched by former President Abdoulaye Wade in 2010 in Senegal's 14 regions.
Body text, Wade launch attribution
To breathe new life into a similar initiative launched by former President Abdoulaye Wade in 2010 in Senegal's 14 regions.
Body text, home visits sentence
After the vaccination session at the Unit 4 health centre, Ndoungou Mbaye heads to the sandy neighbourhood alleys to make home visits, one of the godmothers' key activities, in addition to giving talks (community information sessions).
Body text, knowledge-sharing sentence
She passes on her knowledge to all women, whether they are teenagers, newlyweds or mothers, an act of intergenerational solidarity that is well established in Senegalese traditions.
Body text, volunteer count sentence
It relied on 8,600 women volunteers who acted as intermediaries between the health structures and the population.
Body text, 14 regions clause
To breathe new life into a similar initiative launched by former President Abdoulaye Wade in 2010 in Senegal's 14 regions.
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