Background: Community empowerment enables people to increase control over their lives and decisions, implying ownership and action towards social and developmental change. Effective empowerment strategies build on authentic participation, autonomy in decision-making, community bonding, and psychological empowerment. Community health workers (CHWs) are well-positioned to empower communities due to their embeddedness and trust within the community.Rapid Response Question: How can Community Health Workers be used to empower communities?Findings: CHWs can empower communities through various strategies, including community mobilization, participation, behavior change, support for marginalized groups, advocacy, education, and financial strategies. These strategies foster collective empowerment, social change, and improved health outcomes.Conclusion: CHWs can play a vital role in empowering communities by engaging them, providing knowledge and skills, and supporting their decision-making. Effective use of CHWs requires that they are adequately trained and possess the necessary skills to engage and empower communities.
