Megan Webber, Co-Founder of KnowTheGlow (KTG), and Helene Dameris, Director of Global Outreach at KTG, recently sat down with Tom Sessions, Director of Development at Living Goods (LG), to learn more about LG’s work and to discuss the synergies in their shared mission to improve childhood health outcomes. The conversation provided an inspiring look into how both organizations leverage education, technology, and grassroots health solutions to make a difference in communities across Africa.
Living Goods is a transformative organization that focuses on using mobile technology and training community health workers to deliver life-saving healthcare in Uganda, Kenya, and Burkina Faso. By empowering local health workers, LG is able to improve healthcare accessibility, reduce preventable childhood deaths, and ease the burden on overstretched healthcare systems. Their impact has been dramatic and KTG was excited to learn more.
Tom Sessions, who heads up LG’s development team, shared how the organization succeeds by empowering community health workers to provide crucial, on-demand care in their communities. LG works closely with national governments to ensure their programs are both sustainable and scalable. They also use performance management and smart incentives to improve health outcomes. A big part of their success comes from leveraging mobile technology, which has transformed how healthcare is delivered. Rather than focusing on a single health issue, they aim for a more holistic approach, ensuring efficiency and accessibility. LG has been active in Uganda since 2007, playing a key role in professionalizing community health work through training, ongoing support, and tech-driven tools to improve diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, vision care is not currently part of the health communication currently offered by LG but their methodology is impressive and flexible so perhaps one day vision care will be folded into the plan.
As Tom learned more about KTG’s focus on raising awareness about preventable childhood blindness through early detection of “the glow” in children’s eyes, he emphasized the importance of storytelling in both organizations’ missions. “Awareness raising is about telling a compelling story,” Tom said, highlighting how Megan Webber transformed her personal journey into a global movement.
While KTG primarily focuses on awareness campaigns and partnering with organizations for outreach, Living Goods takes a more hands-on approach, training community health workers to diagnose and treat diseases in their communities. This created a dynamic conversation about the role of technology in healthcare and the potential for its future impact.
LG’s mission to digitize healthcare and ensure that community health workers are trained and supported with the right tools resonated with KTG’s efforts. LG’s use of telehealth and AI initiatives is a game-changer for community health workers who often operate in remote regions. By piloting telehealth messaging services and AI-driven Q&A forums, LG is exploring innovative ways to stay connected with mothers and caregivers.
Megan expressed enthusiasm for LG’s child-focused approach, particularly their work with children under five, and noted that it is so crucial to have that direct and personal interaction at this early stage of life. She also praised LG’s empowerment of women through their training programs, seeing a clear alignment with KTG’s mission of using awareness to drive healthcare intervention.
Both KTG and LG see the future of healthcare through a lens of collaboration. LG’s ability to work hand-in-hand with governments in Kenya and Burkina Faso, where the government covers 50-60% of the programs in some counties, allows LG to scale its impact. Similarly, KTG aims to expand its reach through partnerships that will allow it to continue spreading awareness about “the glow” and prevent childhood blindness on a global scale.
With a new CEO, Emilie Chambert, taking over leadership of LG in December, there’s renewed energy and excitement for the future. Emilie has been instrumental in shaping LG’s strategic direction, ensuring that the organization remains committed to improving child health and strengthening partnerships across the globe.
Megan and Tom expressed a desire to continue exploring ways to integrate their work, leveraging LG’s healthcare networks and KTG’s education-focused initiatives to tackle preventable diseases that impact children across Africa. Megan shared that awareness is only the first step and that real magic happens when you connect awareness with action.
KTG is proud to showcase the vital role that collaboration plays in transforming healthcare outcomes in underserved regions. Together, organizations like Living Goods and KTG are building a future where no child is left behind.
