Amref Health Africa facts for kids
 |
|
| Formation | 1957 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Archibald McIndoe Sir Michael Wood Tom Rees |
| Location |
|
| Origins | East Africa |
|
Area served
|
Africa |
|
Members
|
12 |
|
Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO)
|
Githinji Gitahi |
|
Revenue
|
$223m |
|
Employees
|
2000 |
|
Volunteers
|
0 |
|
Formerly called
|
African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) |
Amref Health Africa is a big organization that helps people in Africa stay healthy. It started way back in 1957. Three doctors, Sir Michael Wood, Sir Archibald McIndoe, and Tom Rees, created it. They were surgeons who had worked in East Africa for a long time. Their first idea was to be like "the Flying Doctors of East Africa". They wanted to bring medical care to people who lived far away.
Contents
History of Helping People
Early Days: Flying Doctors
Amref Health Africa officially began in 1957. Its first goal was to offer health services that could move around. They also helped hospitals with surgeries. A special radio network was set up. This helped them talk to each other and plan their services.
In the early 1960s, Amref added medical services on the ground. They also started "flight clinics." These clinics went to remote areas in Kenya.
Focusing on Training and Communities
By 1975, Amref Health Africa focused a lot on training health workers. These workers helped people in rural areas. They also created learning materials about health.
In the late 1970s, Amref kept offering mobile clinics. They also provided care for mothers and children. They began to focus on "community-based health care." This meant training local people to give basic health care. They also set up units to support health in communities. This included family planning and environmental health.
Growing and Working Together
During the 1980s, Amref Health Africa worked more on community health. They also worked closely with health ministries in Africa. They teamed up with international aid groups. This helped guide their work for many years.
They put more effort into making health systems stronger. They also helped train health staff. They paid special attention to what communities needed. Amref staff learned how to plan and manage health services. They shared this knowledge with health ministries, starting with Uganda.
Tackling Big Health Challenges
In the early 1990s, Amref Health Africa started a special year-long training course. It taught people about community health. In the 1990s, their work also grew to include fighting diseases. They focused on malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis (TB).
By the mid-1990s, HIV/AIDS became a huge problem. It threatened to undo much health progress. Amref Health Africa focused more on this issue.
To meet these big health needs, Amref Health Africa focused on:
- Research
- Building skills (capacity building)
- Speaking up for people (advocacy)
They worked on:
- HIV/AIDS
- TB
- Malaria
- Clean water and basic toilets
- Family health
- Clinic services
- Training and health learning materials
During this time, Amref worked more with local groups. This helped communities plan together. They could identify problems and use resources well.
Modern Approach
In the 2000s, Amref Health Africa pointed out a problem. Even with lots of money from donors, many Africans still lacked good health care.
Amref Health Africa's current plan (from 2007 to 2017) focuses on connecting people to health services. They focus more on people's needs, not just diseases. This means creating health solutions that fit each community.
See also
In Spanish: Amref Health Africa para niños
- Clinical officers, healthcare providers in Sub-saharan Africa
- Healthcare in Kenya
Leadership
- Group Chief Executive Officer: Githinji Gitahi
