African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)
Member profile
The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) is a non-governmental organization founded and based in Africa with 50 years’ experience in health development. Today, it is one of the continent’s leading research organizations. It implements projects through country programs in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Southern Sudan and South Africa; while training and consulting support are provided to 30 more countries. AMREF’s mission is to ensure that every African can enjoy the right to good health by helping to create vibrant networks of informed communities that work with empowered care providers in strong health systems.
Main activities
Knowledge is a core product of AMREF. It implements projects to learn, and shares this evidence-based knowledge with others to advocate for changes in health policy. The current strategy (2007-2017) explores ways to link health services to the people that need them by focusing more on people, and less on diseases – making responses tailor-made to specific community needs. The AMREF strategy has identified three pillars which, if used effectively, could galvanize collective action towards better health for Africa. These are: local partnerships; building capacity of both the community and the health system; and ensuring that health policy and practice create space for the people to participate and engage in strengthening the health system and promoting their own health.
Links to the health workforce crisis
With a range of short specialized courses, a world class library and information services and a continually growing collection of health learning materials, AMREF has become an African leader in the training of community health workers, all of whom play a vital role in the mission to eradicate poverty and change lives. AMREF provides mobile and clinic health services to Africa. It trains physicians and other health care workers to deliver primary health care. It expands disease control initiatives by advocacy and research with greater access to healthcare being the main goal. AMREF has a new eLearning program to train and update health care workers, especially in rural areas where access to treatment is most needed. AMREF’s International Training Centre in Nairobi has become known as an important institution for regional training of health workers. The Diploma in Community Health course has seen graduates from all over Africa, in turn spreading improved health practices and bettering the lives of many communities. AMREF joined the Alliance in 2007 as an implementing Partner.
Vision
Lasting health change in Africa
Mission
Our mission is to increase sustainable health access to communities in Africa through solutions in human resources for health, health services delivery and investments in health.
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Improve the lives of disadvantaged people in Africa through better health
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Bridge gaps between communities, health systems and governments
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Be a leading force for advocacy for health system reforms in Africa
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Be a leader in the NGO community, developing and documenting best practices and training programmes
History
Amref Health Africa was officially founded in 1957 to deliver mobile health services and to provide mission hospitals with surgical support. A medical radio network was developed to coordinate the service, and provide communication.
In the early 1960s, ground-based mobile medical services were added, along with ‘flight clinics’ for the under-served and remote areas in Kajiado and Narok districts of Kenya.
By 1975, training and education for rural health workers were already a major part of Amref Health Africa’s efforts. This included the development of health learning materials.
During the late 1970s, Amref Health Africa continued providing mobile clinical and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services. It also started to focus on community-based health care (CBHC) and training community health workers to deliver primary health care. Technical support units for CBHC, MCH, family planning and environmental health were also set up.
During the 1980s, Amref Health Africa moved into community health development, closer collaboration with the ministries of health in the region, and cooperation with international aid agencies. This set the organisation’s course for the 1980s and beyond.
Greater emphasis was given to strengthening health systems and staff development, with special attention to health needs identified by communities themselves. Amref Health Africa staff gained experience in planning and the management of health services at a national level – expertise that has since been shared in-house with health ministries (the first was Uganda).
In the early 1990s Amref Health Africa established a unique year-long training course in community health. The 1990s also saw the organisation’s work expand to include disease control initiatives, focusing on malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB.
During the mid 1990s, Amref Health Africa increased its focus on HIV/AIDS as it looked set to undo much of the progress made in health during the 20th century, and become a major burden to health systems in poor countries.
To meet this increased health care need, Amref Health Africa prioritised research, capacity building and advocacy relating to:
- HIV/AIDS
- TB and sexually transmitted infections
- Malaria
- Safe water and basic sanitation
- Family health
- Clinical services
- Training and health learning materials.
During the same period, in recognition of the need for partnerships at community level, Amref Health Africa engaged more with local groups to enable community-based planning, shared identification of issues and priorities, and efficient use of resources.
In recent years, Amref Health Africa has highlighted the fact that despite huge investments by donors in health products and delivery of health services, a large percentage of Africans still have limited access to sufficient and quality health care.
Amref Health Africa’s current ten-year strategy (2007-2017) focuses on finding ways to link health services to the people that need them by focusing more on people, and less on diseases – making responses tailor-made to specific community needs.
