The inter-generational impact of the Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) program in Nepal

Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) program in Nepal started in the late 1980s. However, a critical evidence gap remains regarding the long-term health effects of FCHVs. While existing studies primarily focus on short-term outcomes, this study seeks to address this gap by estimating the causal impact of FCHVs on child health and educational outcomes. The FCHVs program was rolled out nationwide in a blanket approach, and the selection of FCHVs was non-random. Thus, I intend to use a quasi-experimental approach to estimate the program’s impact. More specifically, the study uses physical and social distance to FCHVs as an instrumental variable for child health outcomes. The study is currently at the stage of piloting where I am engaged in testing the relevance of instrumental variable approach by conducting a field survey among 250 households. The study will be upscaled in a nationally representative sample based on the preliminary result of the pilot study.