Amref: Q&A

What is Amref?

Amref is the leading health development organisation in Africa, saving and transforming people's lives in some of the poorest and most marginalised communities.

Amref is a truly African organisation. Its headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya and there are country programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Southern Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Of its 700 employees, 97% are African.

In 2005 AMREF became the first African organisation to receive the Gates Award for Global Health, in recognition of its extraordinary contribution to improving health in Africa's poorest communities.

What does Amref do?

Amref is bringing good quality and affordable healthcare closer to people who need it most, improving access to health treatment and preventing poor health through community education. Working closely with African communities and governments, Amref ensures its health projects are relevant and sustainable.

Amref listens to the concerns of the people it works with, from urban slum dwellers to remote nomadic herders, and collaborates with them to develop health projects that are relevant to their needs.

Amref gives basic health training to community health workers, who then return to provide basic healthcare and education in their communities. Many of these communities have no access to formal healthcare.

Amref also trains and supports African health workers in the formal sector and improves the standards of health centres, especially those in rural areas, training institutes and laboratories.

What is Amref's general approach to healthcare?

Rather than concentrate on specific diseases, Amref works to strengthen Africa's healthcare systems, which include formal health workers, community health workers, laboratories and drug supplies. We are closing the gap that exists between healthcare at the community level and healthcare in the formal sector.

Amref pilots innovative health programmes and conducts follow-up research to ensure it learns lessons from the projects it has carried out. Those that are effective are documented and the experience gained from them shared; where possible they are replicated on a larger scale by other organisations and governments. Amref uses research evidence to influence health policy, practice and resource allocation in Africa and around the world.

What is Amref UK?

Established in 1965, Amref UK is one of the organisation's 12 national offices in Europe and North America. Its goal is to increase the impact of Amref in Africa through increased funding and better technical support, by influencing policy and practice and by raising awareness of African health issues in the UK and at relevant global forums.

Last year, for every £1 invested in fundraising, Amref UK raised over £5 for projects in Africa.

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