Community Health Learning Programme

The CHLP is an opportunity for young and mid-career professionals to deepen their understanding of community health and public health. Participants experience its scope by actively participating in a dynamic and enriching community and learner-centric programme. The CHLP is a university accredited postgraduate diploma programme (PGD) in community health, for those who meet the criteria (see later). Those unable to meet the expected criteria receive a Certificate of Participation by SOCHARA.

The objectives of the programme are to enable you as a learner:

• To initiate an inner-learning process to understand oneself and why one wants to work in community health 
• To sharpen analytical skills and deepen an understanding of the social paradigm of community health, identifying pathways to address these, learning from the rich experience in India.
• To broaden an understanding of socio-economic, political, cultural, and ecological inter-linkages to health and health systems, particularly the communitisation of the public health system.
• To strengthen one’s motivation, interest, and long-term commitment to develop community health competencies. 
• To connect with networks for community health and development in India.

The programme has been running since 2002. It  has evolved in a phased manner with   reflection, review and evaluation.

It was an in-person programme for several years. Since 2021 during the Covid pandemic it has transformed into a hybrid programme, increasing its reach for working professionals.

Since May 2022, SOCHARA has been accredited for the CHLP and MPH-CH by the Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU), Shillong, Meghalaya. Participants who successfully complete the CHLP in compliance with  university and programme requirements, will be awarded a PG Diploma in Community Health. While this is a standalone PG Diploma, it is also accepted as the first year of the Master’s in Public Health Programme with a specialisation in Community Health (MPH-CH).

The SOCHARA SOPHEA team conducts the CHLP and MPH-CH programmes including curriculum development, module planning and delivery, assignments, assessments and evaluation.

• The curriculum has 30 modules over two semesters. Semester 1 is from 01 August 2026 to 31st January 2027 and Semester 2 is from 1st February to 31st July 2027. There are 1200 learning hours over 12 months, which includes self learning. The CHLP PGD has 40 university credits from Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU), Shillong, Meghalaya.
• The online modules cover concepts of community health, public health, the health system, health status in India and how health is determined by social, economic, political, cultural and ecological (SEPCE) processes.
• It is mandatory to attend two 5-day in-person sessions which is called Community Health Changemakers Confluence (CHCC). The first CHCC will be held in September 2026 at Bengaluru and the second CHCC will be held in either January or February 2027 at Bhopal.  PGD accreditation will be subject to meeting the mandatory attendance requirements for both CHCCs in addition to the other eligibility criteria mentioned here.
• You need to attend 90 minute online live sessions twice a week. Attendance of 85% across the year is required for the live sessions. The session dates and time will be decided based on the convenience of the majority of participants.  The timing would be in the evening hours (last year, the sessions were from 6.00 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.). Guest lectures/ reflection sessions/ lived experience sessions are a part of the online live sessions. The programme is organised on a Learning Management System (LMS) which is based on Moodle. You have lifelong access to recorded live sessions (LS), video lectures (VLs), additional learning materials (ALMs) etc. 
• Additional sessions may be organised in response to need.
• As part of active learning participants need to submit reflective notes and assignments regularly on completion of each module. This supports and ensures continuous formative evaluation and feedback about one’s learning curve throughout the CHLP.
• A Community Health Action Project (CHAP) conducted over 3 months is required to be undertaken based on an area of your interest. The project can build on your ongoing work, in the geographic area where you are based, within  the organisation you are working. SOCHARA will provide support through partner networks for the community health action project if required. CHAP is developed with your assigned mentor and your organisation (if you are working with an organisation in a community-based setting). It is flexible and need-based. This is not a research project. The CHAP develops skills and competencies based on values, perspectives and knowledge. 
• A final analytical and reflective report of your learning journey, and the CHAP work, will need to be drafted by June 2027 and submitted before the end of the programme in July 2027, in order to receive the PGD. You are advised to write on a regular basis throughout the course.

Further details will be given during the orientation.

The current eligibility criteria include:  

Graduates of Medical Sciences – (≥ 4-year Undergraduate) (MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BUMS, Bachelor of Naturopathy & Yogic Sciences (BNYS), Bachelor of Siddha Medicine and Surgery (BSMS), Tibetan Medicine (Sowa Rigpa), Veterinary Sciences (BVSc.); graduates or post graduates in Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory Technology, Physician Assistant and other equivalent degrees.

Postgraduates of Health Sciences, Community Health / Public Health, Social Sciences, Medico Social Work, Environmental Health, Demography, Population Studies, Nutrition/Dietetics, Psychology, Anthropology/Medical Anthropology, Microbiology, and other equivalent degrees.Graduates and Post Graduates in science, relevant social sciences including social work and community development, with demonstrated experience (a minimum of 2 years’ experience), and an interest in Community Health can apply. Participants will need an ability and commitment to cope with an intensive hybrid programme that include both written and field-based assignments, assessments and a 3 month community health action project (for more details see core components mentioned under question 4).

Over 670 SOCHARA alumni come from a wide range of disciplines and are engaged in diverse jobs and engagements, all of which contribute to Health for All.They contribute to community health in the voluntary, non-profit, government and academic spaces, and over time have taken on leadership or senior positions in different organisations in the health and development sector across India.

Yes. Community health draws knowledge, skills and experience from diverse disciplines towards addressing health, development and equity issues, both at the community level and at other levels. If you are passionate about working long-term in the domain of community health and come from an allied sector, we encourage you to apply for the programme.

Yes, you can apply. You will need to get a letter of permission/ No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the concerned authorities.

Through CHLP, you will be exposed to the large canvas of community health based on praxis. The programme will introduce you to the ‘social or community’ paradigm of health and the societal determinants of health. You will be introduced to various community health initiatives in the country, as well as to the public health system and public health policies and programmes especially to ‘communitisation’ and community engagement. In addition, it offers you an experiential learning opportunity through the CHAP. 

The group process provides a space to discuss, reflect, share experiences and learn from each other. The personal mentoring process during the programme ensures that you begin to internalise the community health approach along with getting guidance for planning your future course of action.  This requires your proactive participation. 

You get to interact with experienced practitioners of community health, public health and health policy in the country. You can access extensive resource materials on community health and development available on our digital platform Digital Archives Project (DAP) https://www.sochara.org/archives/ and through our Community Health Library and Information Centre (CLIC). 

Participants come from varying backgrounds, already working or with a keen interest in working in the health sector. They come from different regions across India and speak different languages. Peer learning is encouraged through group formation for assignments.

The duration of the programme is 12 months, inclusive of holidays.The programme begins on the 1st of August 2026 and ends on 31st July 2027. As 1st August is Saturday, a Pre Launch session will be organised online on 27th July 2026 ( Monday), time to be scheduled with prior discussion with you all. The launch will take place online on 3rd August 2026 (Monday).

• It is a part-time hybrid programme, and you can continue with your current work.

Participants will need to dedicate more than 10 to 12 hours/week to the programme. You are encouraged to give more time to focused reading and learning, so as to build your competence and confidence to be able to function effectively and independently in a work situation. Your future workplaces will expect you to perform tasks independently as well as through team work. 

For the year 2025 – 26, total annual contribution expected from participants towards the CHLP  was one lakh thirty five thousand rupees only  (1,35,000/-). We offer scholarships to deserving candidates on a case-by-case basis. 

There is an additional amount of twelve thousand rupees only (12,000/-) for those who want the University accredited PGD certificate from MLCU.

Selected candidates are encouraged to keep your organisation informed of your participation in the CHLP. You could possibly get full or part sponsorship from your organisation  as part of the personnel/ staff development policies of the organisation.

No. This is a hybrid programme with both online and in-person sessions (in Bengaluru). 

You will be required to be at SOCHARA, Bengaluru for the in-person sessions titled Community Health Changemakers Confluence (CHCC). The duration of the first CHCC will be 5 days, scheduled provisionally in the fourth week of September 2026 (21st Sep to 25th Sep 2026). The registration fee and travel cost will be borne by participants and the accommodation and food costs will be partially borne by SOCHARA.

There will be a 2nd in-person CHCC session for 5 days held in Bhopal at a convenient time during the programme, possibly January or February 2027 with a focus on developing the idea draft and plan for your community health action project. Dates are announced well in advance to plan travel etc.

We encourage you to apply only if you are sure of being a part of this programme for one entire year. We acknowledge that unanticipated circumstances can occur which may force you to take a break or discontinue. We will provide as much support as possible in that situation to make it possible for you to complete the programme.

In case of discontinuation, participants are required to pay a penalty, subject to review by a committee. 

There will be no refund of payments that have been made.

To continue the learning process, mechanisms are in place for networking between participants, and between participants and SOCHARA. These include CLIC, DAP and also alumni e-groups, circulation of newsletters, background papers, reflections, research outputs, etc. In addition, the participants can keep in touch with SOCHARA team members, society members of SOCHARA, friends and associates who are located in different parts of the country and the world.

There is a need for continuous lifelong learning in the practice of community health,  strengthening the knowledge, attitudes and skills developed during the programme.

• Apply online through the Google Form which is provided.
• Upload a statement of purpose (SOP) as to why you want to join the programme. 
• Upload your latest updated CV and supporting educational certificates
• Provide contact details (email ID and mobile numbers) of two referees

A SoP is an essay on who you are, your educational background, work experience and why you want to join the CHLP.

Importantly it must explain your intent to do the programme and how it will benefit you and the work you do. It should be a compelling document and help the selection committee to get an idea of you as a person and your intent to do this programme. Please note that it must be in a Word document using Times New Roman, font size 12,  with a minimum of 600 and a maximum of 1000 words. Overall, it must be a sincere document written by the applicant in simple language. If necessary, you can contact the CHLP core team for clarification. Please do not use AI tools to formulate your SoP because we would like to hear your own authentic thinking in English or your own language. Grammar and styles of sentence formation are not an issue. 

After receiving and scrutinising your application with annexures and CV; your referees will be contacted. Subsequently an online selection interview will be conducted. Based on a scoring process you will be selected.

All applications sent to SOCHARA go through a screening process. We will get back to you after your application has been screened. If your name is short-listed, you will need to attend an interview as mentioned above. We will communicate the final selection thereafter.