World Health Worker Week is an opportunity to mobilize communities, partners, and policy makers in support of health workers in your community and around the world. It is a time to celebrate the amazing work that they do and it is a time to raise awareness to the challenges they face every day. Perhaps most importantly, it is an opportunity to fill in the gaps in the health workforce by calling those in power to ensure that health workers have the training, supplies and support they need to do their jobs effectively.

They are caretakers. They are educators. They are your neighbors, friends, and family. Without them, there would be no health care for millions of families in the developing world.

Frontline health workers are midwives, community health workers, pharmacists, peer counselors, nurses and doctors working at community level as the first point of care for communities. They are the backbone of effective health systems and often come from the very communities they serve.

They are the first and often the only link to health care for millions of people. Frontline health workers provide immunizations and treat common infections. They are on the frontlines of battling deadly diseases diseases like Ebola and HIV/AIDS, and many families rely on them as trusted sources of information for preventing, treating and managing a variety of leading killers including diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria and tuberculosis.

Honor health workers in your community (or communities you work in) by sharing their story. Participate in our ‘#HealthWorkersCount because…’ campaign. Download our template or make your own, but share your reasons using the hashtags #WHWWeek and #HealthWorkersCount. You can also use these hashtags to participate in our WHWW Twitter Chat on April 4 at 1pm EDT.

Organize events, local advocacy campaigns and other activities calling global leaders to prioritize health workforce strengthening.

Download our World Health Worker Week Toolkit for Engagement for more ideas!

World Health Worker Week is only seven days, but here is how you can take action and make a difference year round:

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get updates of our activities, news and ways to get involved.

The Global Health Workforce Network operates within WHO as a global mechanism for stakeholder consultation, dialogue and coordination on comprehensive and coherent health workforce policies in support of the implementation of the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 and the recommendations of the High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth.

Let your member of Congress know how important frontline health workers are to saving lives and increasing security from global health threats worldwide. Refer to our brief on the Global Health Council’s ‘Global Health Works’ Report for basic facts and recommendations to highlight your message.

Advocacy organizations like the ONE Campaign and RESULTS provide direct actions you can take to raise awareness and urge your policymakers to support US global health efforts. Get involved today and spread the word that #HealthWorkersCount.