The Case for Frontline Worker Resilience
Frontline workers are the backbone of essential services worldwide, often operating under pressure with limited resources. In Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), burnout among frontline health workers is driven by several factors. These include inadequate organizational support, heavy workloads, and limited opportunities for career growth.
Burnout in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
This strain results in exhaustion, lower job satisfaction, and reduced productivity. Fortunately, resilience is a skill that can be taught and learned. Having resilience guards against burnout in frontline workforces by investing in resilience education. At Dimagi, we’re committed to using digital tools to deliver resilience training to frontline workers. Through knowledge sharing and practical tools, FLWs consistently feel supported in managing stress and reducing burnout.
Equally important is ensuring that these tools are designed with frontline workers, not just for them. When FLWs are meaningfully involved in the design process, the solutions we build truly reflect their realities and needs.
Introducing the Frontline Worker Advisory Panel
That’s why, with support from the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, Dimagi, in collaboration with The George Institute For Global Health (TGI) under the Resilience Collaborative (TRC), Dimagi has launched the Frontline Worker Advisory Panel. The panel serves as a platform that places frontline workers at the heart of digital innovation.
What the Advisory Panel Does
Shaping the WellMe Resilience App
The frontline worker advisory panel plays a pivotal role in guiding the design and development of WellMe—a Resilience and Wellbeing application for Frontline workers, powered by CommCare. WellMe supports healthy routines through evidence-based learning and practical activities, helping FLWs adopt and sustain behaviors that build resilience.
Strengthening the Evidence Base
Beyond WellMe, the panel will also contribute to the evidence base for designing and implementing other digital solutions that support FLWs around the world.
Kicking Off the First Frontline Worker Advisory Panel Session
We hosted the first Frontline Worker Advisory Panel session in April, bringing together 10 FLWs from Nigeria, the USA, India, Ethiopia and Kenya. The session featured a keynote by Dr. Rajesh Parekh, a resilience expert, who spoke about the neuroscience behind resilience and core resilience building skills. These include stress management, self-care, mindfulness, relaxation, connection to others, and connection to purpose.
Key Focus Areas for the Panel’s First Six Months
Over the next six months, the panel will focus on five key areas:
- Shaping WellMe’s Design: FLWs will directly influence the features and functionality of WellMe.
- Building Professional Skills: Panel members will gain hands-on experience in human-centered design, offer structured product feedback, and develop key resilience-building skills such as stress management, mindfulness, and self-care.
- Learning & Peer Exchange: The panel creates space for cross-country collaboration, allowing FLWs to learn from and connect with one another, forming a supportive global network.
- Amplifying FLW Voices: Members will be spotlighted across platforms to celebrate their role and contributions to advancing frontline wellbeing.
- Strengthening the Evidence Base: Insights from the panel will inform the design and implementation of future digital tools that empower FLWs to adopt evidence-based behaviors that foster resilience.
What’s Next for the Panel
The Frontline Worker Advisory Panel will ensure that frontline perspectives not only inform but actively drive innovation. Through ongoing co-design and continuous feedback, panel members are helping shape interventions. Their involvement also ensures that interventions are contextually grounded, relevant, and impactful across diverse settings.
Together, we are building tools with frontline workers — not just for them.
Learn more about Dimagi’s work in developing and deploying digital tools for resilience building. Reach out to the WellMe team
