In December 2024, a group of organizations realized that they shared the same critical need: interoperability between the Community Health Toolkit (CHT) and DHIS2, a widely adopted reporting platform.
Rather than working in silos, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), OpenFn, Living Goods, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (TPH), and Medic joined forces, combining their unique expertise to collectively solve the problem.
Together, they formed the very first CHT Squad, setting a powerful precedent for community-driven collaboration.
The CHT Community thrives on collaboration—and CHT Squads are the latest expression of that spirit. These small, action-oriented teams unite developers, designers, project managers, and implementers across organizations to tackle high-priority challenges and build features that matter.
I spoke with Emmanuel ‘Mtuchi’ Evans from OpenFn and ICRC’s Raphael Kenyuri about their experience as squad members. This is what they told me.
From app to facility: Streamlined data exchange between CHT and DHIS2
The mission was to create a connector to sync data exchange between the CHT server and DHIS2, a data aggregation system for health information reporting. The idea would be to use OpenFn as a mediator between the two, and leverage Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standards.
“ICRC needed a scalable, open-source tool to harmonize data workflows across humanitarian projects,” Raphael, a DHIS2 expert, explained. “We saw CHT as a solution to meet our needs, especially for migrating data between community and facility systems. OpenFn became the bridge for this interoperability.”
How can agile squads achieve interoperability?
To kick off, the CHT <> DHIS2 squad set up weekly catch-ups where contributors shared their diverse expertise, tracked project progress, and built meaningful working relationships.
“Working in this squad reminded me that the CHT isn’t just software—it’s people,” Mtuchi explained. “We had OpenFn’s integration expertise, ICRC’s deep field knowledge, and Medic’s architectural guidance all in one room. At first, aligning on priorities was tricky, but once we agreed on the minimum viable product scope—patient registration—we moved fast.”
“The agile approach—weekly check-ins, open forums—built trust,” Raphael agreed. “We weren’t just a team; we became a community.”
CHT Squads: Collaboration across organizations and timezones
This cross-organizational collaboration proved transformative. By combining technical expertise with agile coordination, the squad tackled the project’s complexity head-on, meeting ambitious timelines and mobilizing during critical phases – especially to support the implementers deploying these newly built features.
Raphael says that the squad’s ability to rapidly deliver production-ready features established a blueprint for future partnerships.
“For implementers like us, squads are a game-changer,” he explained. “Normally, we’d wait months for a feature like this. Here, we co-designed it from Day One.
“I’ll never forget the moment we debugged a sync issue together; OpenFn’s engineers jumped on a call with our team at midnight their time! That’s the squad mentality: ‘We solve this together.’
He continued: “Now, we’re currently in production in Somalia and we are planning to roll out the feature globally, and the feedback is already shaping future iterations.”
“The biggest win? Seeing our FHIR connector work end-to-end during testing,” Mtuchi recalled. “It proved that cross-organizational teams can ship complex features when they trust each other’s strengths.
“This squad proved interoperability takes a village—but the right tools and trust make it possible.”
Lessons learned: Why squads are the future of the CHT
Raphael and Mtuchi reported that the squad gave them technical skills in configuration and workflow design, as well as the opportunity to act as mentors and open-source advocates. According to Raphael, the squad’s success even encouraged the ICRC to adopt CHT globally for humanitarian projects.
Here’s what else they learned:
- Speed through diversity: Squads combine technical, field, and product perspectives, breaking down barriers and accelerating problem-solving.
- Focus delivers fast results: Starting small on the MVP keeps the team aligned.
- Trust = momentum: Regular syncs and transparent decision-making built camaraderie—even across time zones.
- Flexibility creates scalability: Squads can pivot fast—like expanding the DHIS2 connector to new configurations.
- Community drives innovation: When features are built by, and for, implementers, everyone wins.
Impact and conclusion
The story of the CHT <> DHIS2 Squad is more than a technical breakthrough. It’s proof of what’s possible when collaborators unite with the same mission. By bridging organizations, time zones, and disciplines, this team demonstrated how collective action can dismantle silos, accelerate impact, and turn shared challenges into shared victories.
Their success sets a bold precedent: The future of global and community health isn’t just interoperability between systems, but between people.
As Mtuchi concluded: “Squads aren’t just projects; they’re how we’ll keep the CHT responsive to real-world needs.”
Join the squad
The next squad is focusing on configuration for large-file image uploads, so that big projects can easily sync their data at the same time.
Learn more and get involved