Amref Health Africa

Health training and advocacy - in pursuit of bolstering people-centered Health systems throughout Africa, Amref focuses on enhancing the capabilities of both new and existing healthcare professionals at all levels, including clinical officers, nurses, midwives, lab technicians, and others. This endeavor often involves leveraging innovative e- and m-learning solutions to ensure that the Health workforce remains adept at addressing present and future healthcare challenges. Moreover, Amref empowers community Health workers to conduct household visits, deliver basic Health services, disseminate Health information, and facilitate referrals to Health facilities for advanced care when necessary. To promote sustainability, Amref advocates to ministries of Health for increased investment in Health worker training and compensation. Additionally, Amref engages in capacity-building initiatives aimed at nurturing a resilient civil society by providing training and mentorship to local community-based organizations and advocates, with a particular emphasis on empowering young people as catalysts for positive change within their communities.

Emergency response - Amref provides essential technical support to national governments and collaborates closely with local communities to fortify robust, adaptable, and responsive Health systems capable of addressing both existing and emerging public Health challenges. The organization's efforts include enhancing the capacity of public Health institutions to prevent, detect, and respond to emergencies, as well as expanding community-based disease surveillance and bolstering laboratory diagnostic capabilities. Drawing from the experiences gained during Africa's covid-19 response and vaccination campaigns, Amref is actively involved in efforts to increase access to covid-19 vaccines, integrating these services into routine primary care and promoting the uptake of critical vaccinations to prevent other disease outbreaks. Moreover, Amref is at the forefront of advocating for climate-resilient Health systems and implementing comprehensive programming that incorporates one Health principles. This approach acknowledges the interconnectedness between human Health, animal Health, plant Health, and the broader environment. Through these initiatives, Amref addresses Health crises induced by climate-related events and advocates for the integration of Health considerations into climate change agendas, while also driving action on adaptation, mitigation, and resilience-building measures.

Primary Health care - Amref is committed to its core mission of ensuring accessible, high-quality primary healthcare for communities throughout Africa. The organization's primary care initiatives are comprehensive, addressing all aspects crucial to overall Health and wellbeing across all stages of life. Amref focuses on expanding access to essential healthcare services for women, particularly during pregnancy and postpartum, to safeguard both maternal and infant Health. Similarly, its children's Health programs encompass interventions in homes, schools, and healthcare facilities, employing an integrated approach to meet the diverse healthcare needs of children. Additionally, Amref empowers healthcare workers to provide reproductive Health education to women and their partners, while also educating both girls and boys on reproductive Health to enable informed decision-making. Nutrition interventions are seamlessly integrated into Amref's programs as part of its holistic Health approach. Furthermore, the organization endeavors to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, such as hiv/aids, tb, malaria, ebola, and covid-19, through education, immunization services, and robust disease surveillance and detection efforts. Amref is also actively engaged in preventing, diagnosing, and treating non-communicable diseases, leveraging community engagement, screening services, and referrals for specialized care to address this growing Health challenge.