Ethiopia achieves 600% increase in breast cancer treatment by decentralizing services

In Ethiopia, women with breast cancer have low survival rates due to late-stage diagnosis, limited access to treatment, and resource constraints. CHAI partnered with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health to decentralize services and train health workers at all levels of care.

The results were dramatic: In 2024, 38,000 women received their first clinical breast exam. And 6,132 women were treated for breast cancer—a 600 percent increase from 2019. Breast cancer services expanded to 22 additional health facilities, a 12-fold increase, allowing 26,000 patients to receive cancer care. Building on this success, Ethiopia launched its first-ever National Breast Cancer Guidelines in 2024 to standardize care across the country, positioning Ethiopia as a leader in NCD care delivery in the region.

100,000+ set to receive eyeglasses through innovative delivery models

Globally, one billion people need eyeglasses. In 2024, CHAI partnered with governments to expand access through cost-effective delivery models that promote first-time use and affordable, quality glasses.

The results: in Cambodia and Uganda, in-school screening campaigns led to almost 120,000 children and teachers getting screened, and those who needed them, receiving glasses. In South Africa, community campaigns led to 21,000 uninsured people receiving glasses. While in Nigeria, CHAI supported a Presidential initiative to provide five million reading glasses to people over 40. In the first month, 12,000 pairs were distributed—60 percent to first-time users. These examples demonstrate how targeted interventions can close critical gaps in access to vision care.

AI technology brings expert TB diagnosis to remote communities in India

CHAI is introducing portable US$11 chest X-rays with AI-powered analysis to provide expert-level TB diagnosis in places without radiologists. In India, these machines address a clinical challenge: 43 percent of TB cases are asymptomatic, meaning traditional symptom-based screening misses nearly half of patients.

Through community-based screening in 11 states, CHAI-affiliate the William J. Clinton Foundation screened over 721,000 people in 2024, diagnosing nearly 6,000 cases—a third of which were asymptomatic and would have otherwise gone undetected.

This evidence drove India’s national TB program to procure over 2,000 ultraportable X-ray machines over the next two years, enabling millions more screenings annually and preventing thousands of deaths. The model shows how emerging technology can leapfrog traditional development pathways.

Lao PDR pilot achieves 97% malnutrition treatment coverage, paving way for national scale-up

An estimated 10.7 percent of children under five in Lao PDR suffer from acute malnutrition. Critical gaps—including limited understanding of screening protocols, inadequate access to supplies, and weak record keeping—persist.

In Attapeu Province, CHAI introduced a Service Readiness-Service Delivery model across all hospitals and health centers. Throughout 2024, CHAI conducted monthly data reviews to assess equipment availability and routinely monitored service delivery, giving the government visibility into gaps and enabling targeted interventions.

The results: within one year, the percentage of children receiving ready-to-use therapeutic food treatment rose from 10 percent to 97 percent. This proven approach now provides a replicable blueprint for national scale-up, demonstrating how systematic data use can rapidly improve health outcomes across the country.