WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development and partners from the public and private sector announced a new comprehensive online library of resources for training health workers across the globe.  This is the first-ever resource that will be freely available and accessible through internet-enabled mobile devices.  The online library, called ORB, has the potential to support 100,000 frontline health workers by 2017 who are delivering services to more than 10 million women and children around the world.

For most people in developing countries, frontline health workers are the first and only source of healthcare, but they often lack the training and support they need to provide simple services to patients.  ORB will provide these frontline health workers the training and information resources that will help end the preventable deaths of millions of mothers and children every year.

With over 200 resources, in 13 languages, ORB is attracting interest from leading content developers working in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. As more content continues to be added to the library, ORB will become a truly global resource for frontline health workers everywhere. By combining easy-to-use, open source content that health workers can use online or offline, ORB has the potential to radically enhance the quality and reach of existing training efforts. This will result in more confident health workers with the knowledge and skills they need to transform health outcomes for millions of women and children.

ORB is part of a broader partnership with the private sector, mPowering Frontline Health Workers, which helps build a skilled healthcare workforce to address the needs of every woman and child. The mPowering Frontline Health Workers partnership supports effective training, supervision and support, using the power of mobile technologies to connect health workers to the information and on-the-job resources they need. Members include Accenture Development Partnerships, Dalberg, Frontline Health Workers Coalition, Futures Group, GlaxoSmithKline, Intel, Maternal & Child Survival Program, MDG Health Alliance, New England International Donors, One Million CHW Campaign, Praekelt Foundation, Qualcomm Incorporated, through its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ initiative, UNICEF, UN Foundation, USAID, Vodafone and World Vision.