Amref Health Africa
African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) is a non-governmental organization, based in Nairobi, Kenya, which works throughout Africa to alleviate poverty by developing strong and sustainable health care systems.
Originally founded in 1957 as the Flying Doctors of East Africa by surgeons Sir Michael Wood, Sir Archibald McIndoe, and Thomas Rees for the purpose of providing critical medical assistance to remote communities in East Africa, the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) has since expanded its operations throughout Africa and grown to comprise a full range of medical and health-related services. In addition to the clinical and surgical outreach programs with which it began, AMREF places a special emphasis on preventive care and the development of long-term health care infrastructures in its areas of operation. Rather than maintaining an exclusive focus on temporary relief, AMREF’s ultimate goal is to offer lasting solutions by eliminating the conditions in which diseases flourish and helping to establish strong, sustainable, community-based health care systems.
AMREF's organizational philosophy is that by creating sustainable health-service infrastructures throughout its areas of operation—by providing local populations with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to combat disease and alleviate poverty—communities are empowered and given both the means and the opportunity to address their own changing needs. AMREF is the largest nongovernmental health development organization based in Africa: 97% of its employees are African, and AMREF's on the ground, community-based organizational model has made it a trusted entity that has enabled communities to adapt its programs to their particular needs.
AMREF implements projects to learn, and shares that learning with others to advocate for changes in health policy and practice. AMREF aims to close the gap that prevents people from accessing their basic right to health.
AMREF partners with institutions such as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Harvard and Johns Hopkins Universities and Medical Institutes throughout the continent to achieve its goal.
The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) recently identified AMREF as a key partner in its health programme.
In 1999 AMREF was awarded the Conrad Hilton Prize for Humanitarian work and in 2005 AMREF became the first ever African winner of the Gates Award for Global Health for making major and lasting contribution to the field of health in Africa.
AMREF is more than a voice of Africa. It is deeds: acts of compassion, of intelligence, of purpose. They've learned how to truly improve health in Africa by asking Africans what needs to be done, and how best to do it.
Where AMREF Works
AMREF is based in Africa where it has 5 regional offices with a field office in Sudan. Through AMREF's training programmes it is able to reach a much wider range of communities with countries as far afield as Tunisia, Eritrea and Nigeria benefiting from AMREF training courses in clinical health and nursing refresher courses.
Regional and National offices
AMREF's offices in Africa implement all the Programmes and are found in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia and Sudan.
AMREF has offices in Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, U.K and U.S.A. These offices primarily raise funds for the programmes in Africa.
External links
[Category:Kenya NGOs]
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