FLAGSHIP INITIATIVE
CARHI
Community-Anchored Research and Health Infrastructure
Building permanent community health infrastructure that strengthens routine care, improves disease surveillance, and supports high-quality clinical research.
An initiative in development by Henaza Consulting.
THE CHALLENGE
Three connected challenges. One structural root.
Communities that carry a disproportionate burden of disease often have the least permanent health and research infrastructure.
Clinical trials may bring training, equipment, employment, and improved services—but much of that capacity can weaken when an individual study ends. At the same time, routine health systems may lack the continuous community relationships and timely data needed to detect health threats early.
The result is a cycle of temporary investment, fragmented surveillance, and recurring dependence on external support.
THE CARHI RESPONSE
Infrastructure that remains valuable before, during, and after a clinical trial.
CARHI is developing a community-anchored model that connects routine health services, continuous health surveillance, research readiness, and locally rooted sustainability.
Instead of repeatedly rebuilding capacity around individual projects, CARHI is designed to create permanent community health and research infrastructure—governed with communities, embedded in local institutions, and capable of supporting both public health priorities and high-quality clinical research.
THE FOUR PILLARS
Community Governance
Research Capacity
Surveillance and Data
Sustainable Revenue
Community Governance and Co-Investment
Communities help shape priorities, participate in governance, and share responsibility for sustaining the infrastructure created around them.
Continuous Health and Demographic Surveillance
Long-term community relationships and reliable data strengthen routine planning, enable earlier detection of health threats, and improve research feasibility.
Research Capacity and Leadership
CARHI is designed to develop permanently research-ready sites, skilled local teams, and stronger pathways for African scientific and operational leadership.
Sustainable Revenue Architecture
A blended model of health-system participation, research activity, and locally appropriate financing is intended to progressively reduce dependence on grant funding.
WHAT CARHI IS DESIGNED TO ENABLE
One community infrastructure. Multiple lasting benefits.
Stronger preventive and routine care
Earlier detection of emerging health threats
Permanently research-ready communities
Greater African research leadership
Skilled local employment
Reduced dependence on external funding
WHERE THE MODEL IS BEING DEVELOPED
CARHI is being developed with potential institutional and site partners in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The proposed network brings together experienced African investigators, established health and research institutions, and communities with the potential to demonstrate how locally anchored infrastructure can strengthen health, surveillance, and clinical research simultaneously.
CARHI is currently in the partnership development and feasibility stage.
HELP SHAPE THE PROOF OF CONCEPT
Henaza Consulting welcomes conversations with research institutions, governments, funders, industry partners, and health-system leaders interested in helping shape, evaluate, or support the CARHI model.
If this approach aligns with your work, we would welcome a conversation.