Join us on the first Wednesday of every month.

Back by popular demand, AMREF reinstates our Coffeehouse Speaker Series on global development, hosted by Urbana Coffee.

AMREF’s Coffeehouse Speaker Series on global development is a series of interactive forums where dynamic and engaging speakers active in international development share their experiences and knowledge on issues that are timely and relevant on the world stage.

We invite you to join us on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM at Urbana Coffee, located at 1033 Bay St.

Working with People with Disabilities in Development

Special Date: Wednesday, February 8th at 6:00pm at Urbana Coffee, 1033 Bay St.

Join AMREF and CBM (Christian Blind Mission) as we present a panel of local experts who will share their experiences with disability-inclusive policies. The panel will discuss some of the obstacles some of the obstacles to implementing inclusive programs, how organizations are overcoming them, and whether inclusive policy is scalable across all development programs.

Location:
Urbana Coffee
1033 Bay St.

For more information click here:
AMREF's Coffeehouse Speaker Series on global development. Join us at Urbana Coffee on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00pm.

Join the conversation about working with people with disabilities in development on Facebook.

Please visit our Facebook group for more information.

Contact Us

AMREF Canada 
489 College Street West, Unit 407
Toronto ON
M6G 1A5 

AMREF Canada is pleased to announce the approval of the Building Capacity of Community Health Workers program by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Through this three year program AMREF will train more than 2,000 community and skilled health workers in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda improving health for 500,000 people, primarily women and children.

This is the largest program AMREF in Canada has ever implemented.

Today Africa is home to 25% of the global disease burden and only 3% of the global health workforce – the need to rapidly increase the number of African health providers is urgent.

Community Health Workers provide basic health care and education in areas where there is often no access to formal health care. They receive basic medical training including treating mothers and babies with malaria, helping tuberculosis (TB) patients take their treatment correctly and educating communities on HIV prevention. With this life saving knowledge, basic equipment and medicine, they are able to diagnose and treat people within minutes from their home.

The total project budget for the Building Capacity of Community Health Workers program is $3.1 million.

CIDA has generously committed $2.3 million. Now we are depending on you, our generous donors, to support the rest.

We’re half way there!

So far, AMREF Canada has secured $350,000 towards the implementation of the program. Please help us reach the remainder of our goal by making a donation today.

To make your donation please click on the Donate Button and request that your gift is designated to the Building Capacity of Community Health Workers program in the first drop down menu.

You can also contact the AMREF Canada office at;

1-888-318-4442 (toll free)
1-416-961-6981
info@amrefcanada.org

489 College Street W. Toronto ON

M6G 1A5

Thank you for your continued support. Your generous donation will have a huge impact bringing better health care to those who need it most.

Yes I Will Support Better Health in Africa!

Thank you for choosing to support AMREF’s work empowering communities towards better health!

DONATE NOW 

You can make a single donation or join AMREF Canada’s Health for Africa Monthly Giving Plan.

Donate online: 
Donate Now.

Donate by phone:
416-961-6981 or toll free 1-888-318-4442.

Donate by mail:
With a cheque or money order (please do not mail cash). Please include this donation form. 

AMREF Canada 
489 College Street, Suite 407 
Toronto, ON 
M6G 1A5 

AMREF is a registered charity and your donations are fully tax-deductible.

Questions?
Read our FAQs page or please contact us by phone or e-mail: info@amrefcanada.org

 AMREF’s Drought Response Team Continues Programming in Kenya

January 20, 2012

Although the headlines have all but disappeared and the global sense of urgency has faded, the effects of last year’s drought are still very much felt by many communities in the Horn of Africa. AMREF’s dedicated Drought Response Team is still hard at work responding to the ongoing challenges faced by displaced and disadvantaged families, helping them to rebuild their lives, their health and their resilience. Globally, the AMREF family has raised US$ 5.7 million for drought-affected communities in Kenya and Ethiopia. These generous contributions from our supporters around the world have helped fund life-saving initiatives including the distribution of over 90 metric tonnes of emergency food supplements, the building and rehabilitation of wells, rain-water catchment tanks and other water sources to serve over 70,000 people and their livestock, and hygiene education activities in communities and schools directly reaching over 6,000 people.

In addition, these donations have purchased 15 motorcycles, 300 bicycles and 5 ambulances to help health workers see more patients every day. Your contributions have also funded medical outreach camps to diagnose and treat over 6,500 babies, children and their parents for malnutrition, malaria and other common illnesses, and distributed over 300,000 chlorine tablets to ensure safe drinking water for communities across Kenya.

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, AMREF was able to ramp up their efforts in drought affected AMREF project sites in the Horn of Africa.

However, our mission is one of long-term sustainability, and to that end, our work is far from over. Please help AMREF create lasting change and bolster health services capacity within communities vulnerable to the threat of future crises. With your support we can provide a solid foundation for healthcare to ensure that communities are better equipped to manage these types of calamitous events. Please donate today.

 Responding to the Horn of Africa Crisis

Dec 6, 2011

The rains have finally come.

The “short rains” have arrived, starting to relieve the severe water scarcity experienced in the past months by many communities in the drought-affected Horn of Africa. Unfortunately, the rain doesn’t immediately alleviate the effects of the drought or provide safe water to drink. The torrential downpours are too heavy -even for the parched land- to absorb leading to flash floods, washed out roads and the contamination of water sources. This leaves already stressed communities vulnerable to waterborne diseases such as acute diarrhoea, trachoma and malaria, and makes delivering food aid, bed nets and health care all the more difficult.

AMREF is well aware of the unique dangers that this situation presents and is taking measures to prevent a secondary emergency from arising. AMREF is providing people with mosquito nets to prevent malaria (a real danger due to accumulation of standing water) and distributing chlorine tablets to purify water. Teams are also on the ground responding to nutrition needs of mothers, pregnant and lactating women and children under five years by distributing nutrient-rich supplementary food. Additionally, AMREF is delivering much needed health care, building and rehabilitating wells, and educating communities about the importance of practicing safe hygiene and sanitation and about other ways to keep their families healthy.

The AMREF Drought Response Coordination Team continues to work on developing sustainable and lasting solutions to the challenges communities are facing, and making sure that help is reaching those who need it most. . In October alone, AMREF delivered medical supplies targeting over 7,286 people and acquired growth monitoring tools such as mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes and Salter scales to assess malnutrition in babies and children. Over 5000 kg of Unimix, a nutrient-rich food supplement, and 842 L of cooking oil have been distributed to Kenyan families as well as over 800m3 of safe water, benefiting several communities and schools. Another 45 metric tonnes of supplementary food is ready to be delivered.

AMREF remains committed to working with communities in Ethiopia and Kenya to respond to this crisis and to help families empower themselves with the knowledge and skills to meet any future emergencies. Indeed, field staff have reported that communities with whom AMREF had previously worked were faring better than communities s who had not benefitted from AMREF programs. To find out more about the drought in the Horn of Africa, and the associated food insecurity and humanitarian interventions, join us on December 7th for the AMREF Canada Coffeehouse Speaker Series hosted by Urbana Coffee.

October 13, 2011

AMREF Responds to the Drought - A Canadian's Story

Stephanie Irvine, one of AMREF Canada's former CIDA-funded interns working in Uganda, recently touched base with us to share her experiences working with the AMREF-Kenya Emergency Drought Response Team. Her story follows:

In the horn of Africa, climate change and failed rains have resulted in a famine of epic proportions. In August, 12 million people were reported to be measurably affected by the drought, of which 3.7 million people were deemed extremely food insecure and in need of urgent, lifesaving aid. Attention has centered on those who have been displaced from war- torn Somalia however, Somali refugees comprise only one-third of those suffering.

In the dry, arid landscape of Northwestern Kenya, the pastoralists of the Turkana tribe are especially hard hit. The region is isolated, historically neglected and characterized by poor road access and limited infrastructure each negatively affecting livelihoods and health status. As a culture that thrives on a diet of milk, meat and animal blood, the Turkana are greatly challenged, having to walk long distances in hopes of discovering water and grazing grounds for their livestock. Milk production has decreased and thousands of animals have succumbed, leaving behind a thick trail of malnutrition among the Turkana people.

Children under 5, pregnant women and the elderly are at the highest risk. Among children under 5, rates of malnutrition have reached 37% (The Lancet) in the region. Productivity and economic development of future generations will be undermined due to the marked, long-term consequences of malnutrition. Children who survive will experience delayed achievement of milestones and will be deprived of reaching their intellectual potential. Pregnant women are at an increased risk of having a low-birth weight infant and experiencing an obstetric emergency, and the elderly are suffering weakened immunity.

AMREF has been present in the Turkana district for over 50 years and continues to serve and support the community throughout the crisis. I joined the AMREF-Kenya Emergency Drought Response Team in August. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, AMREF has expanded programming throughout the region, playing a key role on the frontlines delivering food aid, essential medicines and constructing and rejuvenating boreholes.

During a blanket-supplementary feeding initiative and medical outreach on the outskirts of Lokichoggio, Turkana, I had the opportunity to speak with a beneficiary named Maratanu, a 26-year-old mother of three children under 5 years. During our conversation, she expressed gratitude for the support from AMREF: “We depleted all our resources since the rains and are forced to walk all day in search of water. We have lost many of our cattle and camels. I feel weak and can no longer make enough milk for my baby. My children are too tired because of hunger. I worry for the health of my family. I am so thankful to receive food, water purifiers and medicine. We will become strong once again. We are very thankful.”

This particular initiative involved the delivery of a micronutrient enriched corn-soya product mixed with oil to provide enough energy and nutrients to nourish each child under 5 for 16 days of the month. High-energy, ready to drink nutritional beverages were also delivered to pregnant women and the elderly. Our medical staff provided vitamin A supplementation and de-worming treatment for all children under-5 years; ante- and post- natal care for all mother; and distributed medical treatments for other common ailments such as eye infections, respiratory infection and weeping skin lesions.

The impact of the 2011 drought and famine in the horn of Africa will resonate long after the rains fall and AMREF will continue to continue to commit to and support the community to ensure better health for Africa.

September 6, 2011

Helping Forgotten Communities Impacted by Drought

Lamu, a coastal district of eastern Kenya, is now witnessing the dire effects of the drought, which is spreading across the Horn of Africa.

Women and children are most vulnerable and have become weak and prone to fatal waterborne diseases. Young men, desperate to find water and pasture for their livestock have had no choice but to search further and further away. Women, children and the elderly have been left behind, with hardly anything to eat.

Apart from the government, AMREF is the only organisation providing support to communities in the area.  Lamu is one of Kenya’s poorest regions, with 60% of the population living in poverty.

The lack of clean water, coupled with increasing malnutrition has increased the rates of diseases such as diarrhea particularly among women and children.

AMREF has been working in Lamu to improve maternal, new born and child health.

Bernard Kimani, AMREF’s Project Assistant in Lamu says there is an urgent need for increased health care services and food relief distribution to prevent increased hunger and disease.

Under AMREF’S drought response initiative, approximately 18,000 children and 25,000 women will have increased access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and food relief.

Please support AMREF’s work today.

 

 August 12, 2011

Emergency Medical Outreach in Turkana

AMREF has officially launched its drought response in Kenya with a medical camp in Turkana District, one of the regions worst affected by the drought. 

Hundreds of people, men and women, young and old, their faces and bodies telling the story of hardship and hunger, turned up at the Loitanik Primary School in Kaikor division, eager for medical attention – and food.

“AMREF has been working with the Turkana community for the last 50 years,” said AMREF Director General Dr Teguest Guerma who was at the medical camp. “I am deeply saddened by the suffering of the people of Turkana as a result of drought and hunger. By launching our official activities here, we are showing our solidarity and concern for them.”

Dr Guerma led AMREF staff, volunteers and government health workers in giving out therapeutic food to children, pregnant and lactating mothers and the elderly. The food contains crucial micronutrients and does not need cooking. Two hundred bags of maize and beans from the district store were also given out.

Men, women and children were screened and treated for disease and nutrition-related illnesses. They also received water treatment tablets and were shown how to use minimal amounts of water to ensure basic hygiene, and thus prevent water-related diseases.

“It is important to ensure hygiene because eye infections and diarrheal diseases like cholera can easily break out when there is a shortage of water. Disease will only weaken the people more and we must prevent that,” said Dr Guerma.
Dr. Guerma emphasized AMREF is doing all it can to stop the suffering of people living in areas where AMREF already works. 

“AMREF is a health development organisation that seeks long-term solutions to health challenges, but development work cannot progress when people are hungry,” she says.  “I promise that AMREF is doing our very best to find long-term solutions in Turkana so people do not find themselves in such a bad situation again.”

AMREF will continue running the medical camp to reach as many people as possible.

While the official launch of the camp was yesterday, AMREF’s activities to mitigate the immediate and medium-term effects of the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa have already begun in affected parts of the country, including Makueni, Kitui, Kajiado, Loitokitok, Samburu, West Pokot, Baringo, Laikipia, Matinyani, Mutitu, Magadi, Malindi, Kilifi, Lamu, Wajir, and in the informal urban settlements of Kibera and Dagoretti in Nairobi.

“Our focus is to save lives. We are grateful to all the donors who have given us money to do this work. We will use the money coming in for drought-related activities in the most effective way possible to benefit the communities, and we will account for every dollar and shilling,” says AMREF’s Kenya Country Director Dr. Lennie Kyomuhangi.

A special thank you to partner organization Humedica and the generous funds raised through German organization Sternstunden.

Please make a DONATION and help communities impacted by the drought in Kenya. 

 August 2, 2011

Wajir County in northern Kenya is one of the regions hit hardest by the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa, with a total of 205,265 people in dire need of food.

Recently AMREF in Kenya’s Country Director Dr. Lennie Bazira travelled to Wajir to assess the situation and determine how AMREF can best help. Watch an interview with Dr. Bazira below and please make a DONATION to help these communities.

July 23, 2011

AMREF is mobilizing efforts to tackle the wide-spread famine the Horn of Africa is currently facing. The UN estimates 10 million people are being affected by the crisis – one of the largest humanitarian crises in the last 60 years.  

Kenya

The situation in the arid north and eastern regions of Kenya have reached emergency crisis level, while marginal parts of the south-eastern and coastal regions are faced with severe food shortages which are affecting close to 3.5 million people.

Soaring inflation has also left large numbers of people in Kenya’s informal urban settlements unable to buy food.

Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in northern Kenya are housing close to 500,000 Somalis, and the numbers keep swelling as 1,500 refugees (according to Government estimates) cross the border daily to escape the famine and insecurity in their country.

Ethiopia

So far, 4 million people in Ethiopia are in need of food relief, mostly in the Somali, Tigray, Oromia and Amhara regions.

Women and Children Most Vulnerable

The famine is leading to malnutrition, impoverishment and loss of life. AMREF is also concerned about the effects of the famine on already vulnerable populations. Children and pregnant women are highly susceptible to malnutrition and diarrhoea, for which medical care is critical. People living with HIV and TB need nutritional support if their treatment is to be effective. As people migrate to escape the famine and move away from their regular health facilities, they are likely to default on treatment for HIV and TB and increased crowding in refugee camps increases the risk of spread of TB and other infectious diseases.

Children are dropping out of school to join their parents in the search for food; girls are often the first to leave the classroom and easily enter into sexual liaisons or early marriages for survival, reversing gains made in reproductive health education.

We have already stepped up activities to increase access to clean water and sanitation facilities for communities affected by the famine in order to prevent outbreak of diseases like cholera and diarrhoea, which would only add to the suffering.  AMREF medical outreach teams are also focusing on treatment of malnutrition and diarrhoea in refugee camps in northern Kenya.

AMREF cannot do this alone.

Please support AMREF today.

Anne-Marie Kamanye
Executive Director

Anne-Marie previously worked for War Child Canada, where she was the Manager of International Programmes. She has 6 years experience in International Project Management with a focus on project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and needs assessments. She has a long-standing interest in public health.

Born and raised in Uganda, Anne-Marie has worked in and traveled to several African countries, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. As AMREF Canada's former Director of Internatonal Programs, Anne-Marie was responsible for fund development, project management and public awareness.

In August of 2007, Anne-Marie was awarded the African Canadian Woman Achievement Award by the Endless Possibilities and Hope Development Organization.

Rachel Lancaster
Director, Marketing, Events and Communications

Rachel comes to AMREF with 15 years of experience in brand advertising and direct marketing, and is delighted to be contributing the skills she’s developed over the course of her career working with large corporations and not-for-profit organizations in Canada and the United States. Her most recent experience includes working with RBC Royal Bank where she led the development and execution of integrated marketing campaigns and sponsorships for RBC Visa and MasterCard.

Prior to her years at RBC, Rachel worked with several top tier branding and direct marketing firms in Toronto including Wunderman Cato Johnson, FCB Direct and Scott Thornley + Company; developing brands and executing  direct marketing campaigns for Plan Canada, Dignitas International , The National Ballet School, Columbia University, The Ontario Association of Health Centres and CIBC. Rachel holds a degree in Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa.

Rachel is responsible for overall fundraising activities, brand awareness, direct marketing, telemarketing and events for AMREF.

With a father who is a doctor living in Lagos, Nigeria and a mother with a long history of working in the not-for-profit sector, Rachel came by her love of Africa and passion for development at an early age. Rachel now lives in Toronto with her husband and two boys.

Todd Carmichael
Director of Programmes

Todd joined AMREF in October 2011, bringing with him more than 6 years experience working in the international development and humanitarian sector and several years of project management experience in the private sector. Originally educated as a geological engineer, he returned to school to pursue a professional focus in international development after working as a field geophysicist (which included field work in Canada, the United States, Brazil and Mali).

Since completing the post-graduate program in International Project Management at Humber College, Todd has worked with a variety of development organizations that have included Community-Based Organizations, Canadian and International Non-Governmental Organizations as well as a period with the United Nations Office for Project Services. He has worked in several countries including Ethiopia, Mali, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Sri Lanka.

Todd joins AMREF after several years working with the NGO Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief, where he was most recently serving in the role of Program Director. He has also previously sat on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Council of International Cooperation.

Todd is responsible for managing AMREF Canada’s overall programme portfolio, overseeing project reporting for AMREF’s donors and partners, identifying and developing new programme initiatives and promoting key advocacy messaging.

Liz Doyle
Operations and Donor Relations Manager

Liz joined AMREF in July 2006 as the Database Manager & Administration Assistant.

Previous to her joining AMREF Canada, Liz worked for War Child Canada, where she was the Director of Marketing & Promotions, and was responsible for the production and distribution of documentaries, benefit music cd's, on-line merchandise, promotional materials, third party contracts and events.

Prior to her work with War Child Canada, Liz worked for Universal Music Canada for 15 years as the Director of Electronic Media. She was responsible for the marketing and publicity of Universal Music Group's artists/musicians on television. This included all advertising, promotional campaigns, videos, performances & interviews.

Currently, Liz manages the day to day operations at AMREF, including accounts receivable & payables, donor reports and donations. Liz also sits on the Marketplace Gala committee.

Kate Giesbrecht
Programme Coordinator

Kate is a graduate of Humber College’s International Development post-graduate certificate in international project management and holds a B.A. from Université Laval in Québec City in linguistics and cultural anthropology.

Kate joined AMREF Canada’s team after completing a 6-month internship with AMREF in Ethiopia where she was responsible for the development of a medical anthropology research project aiming to gather information about how cultural practices can influence community health in southern Ethiopia.  Kate has done contractual work with Plan Canada and worked in the Winnipeg public school system as an educational assistant for children with special needs.

Kate supports the Director of Programmes in seeking funding for, managing and reporting on AMREF Canada's projects in the field. 

Sean Power
Online Public Engagement Coordinator (part-time)

Sean is AMREF Canada’s Online Public Engagement Coordinator. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Western Ontario in London graduating with an honours bachelor of arts in history and he holds a Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management from Humber College in Toronto.

At AMREF, Sean is responsible for building awareness about African health development in Canada by growing AMREF’s online presence. He works on AMREF Canada’s digital activities, focusing on web analytics, social media, and community-building opportunities.

Glenda Opsahl
Finance Manager

The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) has announced, with deep shock and sorrow, the death of Dr Alemayehu Seifu, AMREF Country Director for South Sudan. 

Dr Alemayehu, 46, was shot dead by unknown assailants on Saturday, January 14, at the gate of his house in Malakia area, on the outskirts of the capital city, Juba. The assailants made off with his car and other personal belongings. The government of South Sudan immediately launched an investigation into the incident. The vehicle Dr Seifu was driving was found on the Yambio-Juba road on Sunday afternoon with one occupant, who was arrested by police.

AMREF staff and Board members were informed of Dr Seifu’s death by the organisation’s Director General, Dr. Teguest Guerma. “This is a very sad moment for the entire AMREF family and we stand in solidarity with Alemayehu's family and AMREF South Sudan staff during this very difficult moment,” she said. “We are working with the government of South Sudan on the matter to handle the situation and will keep you informed as we receive more information.”

Dr. Guerma has assured AMREF staff in South Sudan that AMREF will continue in its efforts to strengthen security measures for them and all AMREF employees working in other countries.

Dr. Seifu was appointed AMREF Country Director in South Sudan in January 2011, after serving as Deputy Country Director in Ethiopia, a position he held since September 2007.

Prior to joining AMREF, Dr Seifu, a medical doctor who held a Masters Degree in Public Health, worked in Ethiopia with the World Health Organisation (WHO) as Regional Surveillance Coordinator, CARE International and Amhara Regional Health Bureau. He is survived by a widow, Mrs Amsalework Tesfaye Seifu, a son Samuel Alemayehu, 15, and a daughter Betlehame Alemayehu, 12.

Messages of condolence have been pouring in from all over the world from colleagues and friends who knew and worked with Dr. Seifu. In South Sudan, the Ministers of Health both at State and Republic level visited AMREF staff and conveyed their condolences. Other messages of condolence were received from the South Sudanese Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Information.

Dr. Seifu’s body was flown to Ethiopia on Sunday evening for burial on Monday at his home 100km from Addis Ababa. AMREF was represented at the burial on Monday by Ms Mette Kjaer, Head of Programme Management, and AMREF South Sudan Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Mr. Arizi Primo.

“This is a very difficult time for us all in AMREF and I thank everybody for the solidarity you have shown,” said Dr Guerma.

Your support will help AMREF ensure mothers in Africa have access to adequate healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth. This medical care is crucial for safe deliveries and will give mothers and their babies a fighting chance at a healthy future. PLEASE DONATE NOW.

Make your gift online through our secure CanadaHelps portal, or over the phone at 416-961-6981.

December 2011

HIV and AIDS remains one of the top public health threats in Africa. At the end of 2010, approximately 75% of 34 million people living with HIV came from sub-Saharan Africa, where AMREF operates. Women are more vulnerable than men; 60% of people infected with HIV in Africa are women.

World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 every year to focus the world’s attention on AIDS. It provides an opportunity for people across the globe to unite in the fight against HIV, to show their support for people living with the virus and to remember those who have died. As Africa’s leading health development organisation working with communities, AMREF shares this year’s global theme of ‘getting zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths’.

The proportion of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa who were tested for HIV increased from 43% in 2008 to 51% in 2009, significant progress in one year (WHO/UNICEF 2010). AMREF has trained a significant numbers of health care providers in Africa on Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, Voluntary Counselling and Testing and Anti-Retroviral Therapy. For the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV; AMREF and its partners continue to pay maximum attention to expanding and sustaining PMTCT programmes in fixed health facilities and outreach programmes.

Homophobia, stigma and discrimination still persist and negatively affect the health and well-being of Men Having Sex with Men, and other most-at-risk populations. AMREF’s work involves distribution of community-focused information and education materials for the reduction of stigma associated with HIV and AIDS, and strengthening the capacity of district and community structures to promote sexual and other behavioural risk reduction interventions. AMREF and its partners address this issue at different levels of society, including government bodies, health care settings, work places and schools in order to increase opportunities for improving the health of most at risk populations and ensuring equal access to health services. AMREF will increase advocacy with governments for development of unbiased policies for most-at-risk populations so that they can enjoy equal status in the society.

AMREF advocates for universal access to ARV to all eligible patients and for more research to be done on ARV prevention and treatment. AMREF has mobilised resources from the Global Fund, PEPFAR and others donors for the expansion of universal access to ARVs. A recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health has confirmed that treating HIV-positive people with ARV drugs reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to HIV-negative sexual partners by 96%.

Encouraging data from UNAIDS shows that new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths have fallen to the lowest levels and more than 6.6 million people now have access to HIV treatment. However, these gains are threatened by a decline in resources available for HIV prevention and treatment in low- and middle-income countries. This could now be further aggravated by the recently revised resource forecast, which shows a shortfall in funding available through the Global Fund.

To contribute towards achievement of the core global goals, AMREF calls upon national governments, institutional donors and the private sector to continue supporting the fight against HIV and AIDS. The job is only half done. We cannot stop until we ensure that there is lasting health change in the lives of African communities, by stopping the spread of HIV, and ensuring access to health care and support for those who are affected and infected.

Dr Abebe Aberra
AMREF Programme Leader, HIV/AIDS/TB

Learn more about AMREF and increase public knowledge on health in Africa by browsing the webpages to your left. 

Please contact us for more information:  

Rachel Lancaster
Director of Fundraising and Communications
rlancaster@amrefcanada.org
(416) 961-6981

489 College Street West, Unit 407
Toronto Ontario
M6G 1A5
(416) 961-6981 

Below are PDF fact sheets on AMREF and our work creating healthy communities across Africa. 

 Health for Africa Monthly Giving Plan

AMREF Canada's Health for Africa Monthly Giving Plan is by far the smartest and most efficient way to make a lasting gift of health for Africa's most disadvantaged and marganalized people. By making a monthly contribution, you are helping AMREF plan and deliver solid health programs because your gift is ongoing.

And it's easy to do;

• Set your donation up once and never have to renew.
• Your gift becomes automatic because it is administered from your bank account or credit card.
• You will get one consolidated tax receipt at the beginning of each year for all of your monthly donations for the previous years, so your donation is easy to manage.
• You can make changes to your donation, put it on hold or cancel at any time.  

What you can do when you join Health for Africa:

For $5 per month you can vaccinate children against polio, a debilitating disease that can leave children disabled for life.

For $10 per month you can provide an insecticide-treated mosquito net that could prevent a child from contracting malaria or dying from it.

For $20 per month you can help rebuild shallow wells and reduce water borne diseases among children.

Join Health for Africa now and make your donation last all year long! 

You can also join Health for Africa by contacting the AMREF Canada office at (416) 961-6981.  

URGENT APPEAL

Help us save lives and improve health for children
in Southern Sudan

June 2011

Right now thousands of families who were displaced during two decades of war are returning to South Sudan from the North before it becomes Africa’s newest country next month.

Sadly, due the civil war, most of these families are without homes and have ended up in crowded, unsanitary camps with little or no fresh water.

Children are suffering most severely.

With limited access to clean water, few health clinics and sanitation facilities and not enough trained health workers - children are threatened by easily preventable illnesses like, malaria and tuberculosis.

Right now AMREF is saving lives.

We are one of the only organizations training health workers in South Sudan to reduce potentially life threatening disease by;

• Constructing latrines
• Creating new wells and monitoring water quality
• Rebuilding primary health care centres
• Working with the government on a health care action plan

By supporting AMREF today you will help us reach even more children in Southern Sudan.

AMREF’s Work in Southern Sudan

Two decades of civil war in South Sudan, from 1983 to 2005, resulted in a tattered health system, a critical health worker shortage and some of the worst health indicators in the world.

This past January 99 per cent of voters chose independence in the referendum. This July South Sudan will become Africa’s newest nation.

AMREF has been working in South Sudan since the 1970s. Please use the links below to learn more about our work in the region.

Learn more about AMREF’s work in Southern Sudan
Shifting Tasks to Save Lives: Clinical Officers in Southern Sudan
Meet AMREF trained Clinical Officer Sgt. Kuol
Research Report: Doctors of Southern Sudan

Leading off the session entitled: “Global Burden of Disease”, Stephanie will present the findings of a needs assessment that was conducted in the remote and relatively inaccessible district of Kabale, Uganda. The study organized local Village Health Teams to collect information from rural households related to maternal, newborn and child health. It collected data directly from 96,179 individuals from 286 villages (approximately 17% of the district’s total population).

The findings from this study revealed some troubling discrepancies between it and the previously available statistics. As the first study of this kind in the country, it indicated that:

With 87% of Ugandans residing in rural settings, findings generated through this type of study can play an important role in helping to develop a more accurate picture of where health services are falling short. It is information such as this that AMREF utilizes to strategically design and implement its programs to have the greatest effect to further its mission - to ensure access to good health for the most vulnerable and marginalized people in Africa. As a result of this study, AMREF has designed a program to address systemic health service issues that are limiting the access of women in this part of Uganda to appropriate antenatal and obstetric care (AMREF is now actively exploring partnership opportunities to secure funding for this program).

Stephanie was selected to join the AMREF team in Uganda as part of the 2010/2011 internship program – organized in partnership with the Canadian Society for International Health and with funding support from the Canadian International Development Agency. She is currently working with AMREF-Kenya as part of Horn of Africa drought-response initiatives. Stephanie is a registered Dietician and holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Western Ontario in Food and Nutritional Science.

By Phyllis Nyambura

The only time he has ever come to Africa was 20 years ago. Then, the middle aged man visited Morocco and Egypt just to have fun.  Today, however, he has decided to turn the tables.  Just a little bit. The diabetic man is braving the scorching sun as he cycles his way round the rough terrain of Kenya to raise money for a worthy cause. AMREF, Maternal and Child health programmes.

Meet Gerard ten Buuren, from Holland who despite age and his health is ready to brave a 360 km long track on a bicycle as he gears towards improving the health of African mothers and children. The 47 year-old raised the highest amount of 8,500 Euros towards the organisation's health causes.

While 99 per cent of Kenyan women attend ante-natal clinics at least once in their life, only 46 per cent of deliveries in the country are carried out by skilled attendants.

Currently, maternal mortality stands at 578 per 100,000 live births, while infant mortality stands at 32 per 1,000 live births. Under five mortality stands at 54 per 1,000 live births.

These statistics paint a grim picture of access to maternal health care, where the situation for women from impoverished backgrounds is even more serious.

But the country hopes to reverse this. To attain MDGs 4 and 5, Kenya aims to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health by 75 per cent by 2015.

This is why such sponsors such as Gerard, are so important to AMREF, which hopes to assist the government in reversing maternal mortality deaths.

“I was motivated to come first because, being a diabetic I needed to improve my health. I found it a good combination to fundraise for an International Health organisation like AMREF, whose health agenda is known worldwide, while working on my own health. Plus I wanted to see Africa again, experience the culture and see the wildlife,” the 47-year-old, father of three, says.

AMREF Country Director, Dr Lennie Bazira Kyomuhangi, saw the cycling event as a good opportunity to create awareness about AMREF maternal and child health programmes on the ground. “We hope to mobilise the community and especially women to attend antenatal clinics. We also hope to save more pregnant mothers and children under five,” she said during the flag off event, on Sunday.

Currently the Dutch government supports the Community Based health Management Information System (CGHMIS), in which community health workers get adequate skills on collecting data on Maternal and child health.

As he bikes his way through the dusty path, in temperatures above 30 degrees, at  Kibwezi, Gerard is a satisfied man.  He has not only managed to work on his health in a span of months, but he has seen his dream of raising more money come true.

“I find this trip very interesting. We all wondered whether Kenyans knew of our coming. But we found very warm people on our track. Of course, there are those people who were looking at us thinking we are crazy to bike race in the hot sun,” Gerard, says with a chuckle.

Gerard is among 99 cyclists from the Netherlands, who have been taking part in an 8-day cycling event, that started Sunday, October 23 at Kibwezi. The bikers have managed to raise  over 600, 000 Euros in support, to take part in the event dubbed Kenya Classic Tour.

“I heard about the event in December from a friend. I thought it was going to be a big challenge, taking my condition. But I thought I should join up. My family thought I was mad,” Gerard, relates.

But to castigate any doubts as to his ability in taking part in the event, he carried out research and the feedback was encouraging.

“I found I could do it. Plus I have a sensor on my arm, that measures blood sugar level. If it gets too low, it raises an alarm,” Gerard, a program Manager for the Dutch police, says.

In March this year he started training to improve his stamina and so far the results have been encouraging. “I started off by mountain biking for 40-60km everyday. By the time I came here I could do 200km,” he says.

As he continues with next leg of cycling, the man whose greatest sponsorship came from his healthcare provider, CZ Holland, is upbeat that he is able to put a smile on many a suffering child face.

“It would be nice to see the money used to provide better health care and clean water for people here (Kenya). In Holland, we have very good health care, than what I have seen here. I feel motivated to do something to help out,” the man who rides for mostly fun, says.

Though, he is not sure he will do the bike race next year, he is enthusiastic about such-like projects, where he can be able to tour as he renders help. “You know a week ago, my friends were thinking about touring Mt Kilimanjaro, and I informed them maybe it's a better idea to climb as we fundraise for a worthy cause,” Gerard, says.

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These funds will allow us to strengthen our support for life saving projects like our Horn of Africa drought relief project and our training healthcare worker project that is making pregnancy and childbirth safe for mothers. It will help us reduce childhood and infant deaths due to malnutrition and diseases and continue to build strong diagnostic and research capabilities that will provide lasting health change in Africa.

Missed the event but would still like to donate? Click here to support African health development.

More than 1 billion people in the developing world live without safe drinking water or water for washing their food, hands and utensils before eating.

2.4 billion people also live without adequate sanitation.

Inadequate drinking water and sanitation lead to water-borne diseases (e.g. cholera, typhoid) water-related diseases (e.g. malaria, yellow fever, river blindness, sleeping sickness) water-based diseases (e.g. guinea worm and bilharzia) water-scarce diseases (trachoma and scabies) diarrhoea – a leading killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa.

The crisis is worst in sub-Saharan Africa, where 2 in 5 people lack safe water. A baby in sub-Saharan Africa is almost 520 times more likely to die from diarrhoea than one born in Europe.

Improving access to clean water and sanitation would dramatically reduce illness and death in poor countries: a clean water supply reduces diarrhoea-related death by 25%, while improved sanitation reduces it by 32%.

Trachoma, one of the most common causes of blindness in the developing world, is linked to extreme poverty and poor sanitation. It is triggered by bacteria that cause repeated conjunctivitis. It is easily spread, especially where there is little water for people to wash their hands and faces regularly. There are 6 million new cases of trachoma every year in Africa.

Adequate water and sanitation would help vulnerable groups – especially women and girls. It would also provide significant economic benefit. The annual value of time saved globally would amount to $63.5 billion in 2015, while the health-related costs avoided would reach $7.3 billion per year worldwide in 2015.

AMREF is tackling Waterborne Diseases

Together with communities and district health councils, AMREF is improving water and sanitation in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Southern Sudan and South Africa.

In Kibera, Kenya, local residents have installed latrines, bathrooms and water tanks with the support of AMREF. Clean-up campaigns have cleared drains and reduced refuse problems. We have set up school-based ‘wash clubs’, teaching children about hygiene and encouraging them to take the message home. Results show improvement – cases of diarrhea and intestinal worms have dropped by about 70% in target schools.

Improving water accessibility has reduced also reduced workloads for women and girls, increasing school attendance for children and helping women engage in other income-generating activities.

Learn more about AMREF’s work;

• Preventing and treating new infections of HIV/AIDS 
  
• Raising awareness about Tuberculosis
  
• Educating people about the causes of Malaria
  
• Improving Maternal Health
  

Africa is the only continent where tuberculosis (TB) rates are increasing, with 1,500 TB deaths every day. Tragically and avoidably, 10% of these casualties are children.

TB is a preventable disease linked to poverty. In 2005 it was declared an emergency in Africa. Each year TB claims the lives of half a million Africans, many young and in their most productive years of life. In the past 15 years, overall rates of TB have doubled across the continent and tripled in regions with high HIV rates.

Africa has the highest per capital incidence of TB in the world (28%), with most of the worst affected countries located in sub-Saharan Africa. Those most at risk include the urban poor, migrants and refugees, people who are forced to live in overcrowded conditions.

TB is also a leading killer of HIV-positive people with weakened immune systems. About 200,000 people living with HIV/AIDS die from TB every year, most of them in Africa. Completing a particularly vicious circle, HIV itself has been the single most important factor in the rising incidence of TB in Africa. Treating co-infected people is hard as the drug therapies for each are difficult to combine safely.

Dangerous, drug-resistant strains of TB have also now emerged. This is caused by inconsistent, incorrect treatments being taken, or because of unreliable drug supplies. Not completing a course of treatment is a key cause of this resistance:

Multi-drug-resistant TB is resistant to the two most powerful anti-TB drugs while extensively drug-resistant TB is resistant to ‘second-line’ drugs and is extremely difficult to treat.

AMREF tackling TB

Working alongside local communities, AMREF is training community-based health workers on preventing, diagnosing and treating TB. In South Africa AMREF is working closely with the ministry of health and traditional healers – the country’s most important front-line health care providers – to decrease TB rates.

Traditional Healers are trained to recognize signs of TB and refer these patients to hospitals.

They are also trained in Directly Observed Treatment Strategy – a method that ensures patients take their medication in the correct way.

The Traditional Healers program has helped identify many cases of HIV/TB co-infected patients, enabling them to get timely treatment. It has also improved the numbers of people completing their treatment properly, and has boosted the rate of early detection.

Learn more about AMREF’s work;

• Preventing and treating new infections of HIV/AIDS 
• Educating people about the causes of Malaria
  
• Improving Maternal Health
  
• Decreasing Water-borne Diseases
  

Every year more than half a million women die from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications – 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries.

Maternal health is one of the most glaring inequalities in the world today. The lifetime risk of an African woman dying of complications related to pregnancy or childbirth is almost 300 times greater than a woman in a wealthier country like Canada.

Reasons for maternal death are understood and most often preventable with proper health care, approximately 80% of maternal deaths are due to hemorrhaging, infection, high blood pressure and/or obstructed labour.

Teenage childbearing significantly contributes to the risk, as do unsafe abortions. Indirect medical causes such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, viral hepatitis, TB, diarrhoea, tetanus, heart disease and sickle cell disease also increase a woman’s risk of complications during pregnancy or death.

Health services are often inaccessible and women can’t afford them. Many women in developing countries receive no antenatal care during pregnancy, half give birth without a trained attendant and 70% receive no post-natal care.

Beneath the medical causes of maternal death lie other factors: poor education, low social status, lack of income and employment opportunities, and nutritional problems before, during and after pregnancy.

Maternal death or disability is not just a personal, family or community tragedy. Poor maternal health is serious threat to Africa’s economic development. If there are no interventions to reduce the current rate of maternal deaths and disabilities in Africa, over the next ten years, $45 billion worth of productivity will be lost.

AMREF is improving Maternal Health

AMREF is working directly with communities to improve maternal health. This includes:

Improving access to health services including family planning, safe obstetric care and midwives Preventing and treating malaria in pregnancy Improving mothers’ nutrition Raising awareness of personal and food hygiene, basic sanitation and improved access to clean water as essentials for good maternal health.

We are also working with communities to deal with the indirect causes of maternal ill health, including:

Increasing prevention, treatment and care of HIV/AIDS. Controlling ‘opportunistic’ infections, including TB, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Protecting women’s reproductive rights, including promoting women’s rights to make informed choices about family planning and childbirth, and protection against gender-based violence.

In South Sudan AMREF is running midwifery courses to provide desperately needed skills. After 21 years of civil war there were 20 midwives for Southern Sudan’s 10 million people.

Learn more about AMREF’s work;

• Preventing and treating new infections of HIV/AIDS 
  
• Raising awareness about Tuberculosis
  
• Educating people about the causes of Malaria
  
• Decreasing Water-borne Diseases
  

Every year 500 million cases of malaria are diagnosed, leading to 1.5 million deaths.

The majority of these deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Children under five and pregnant women bear the brunt of the disease because their immune systems are lowered or underdeveloped.

In eastern and southern Africa, an estimated 30% of all recorded deaths during pregnancy are attributed to malaria infection. Meanwhile, a recent study in sub-Saharan Africa suggests that another vulnerable group of people – those with HIV – are twice as likely to catch malaria as those without.

Treating malaria accounts for 40 per cent of public health expenditure and 25% of household income in Africa. It is also estimated that malaria imposes a ‘growth penalty’ of up to 1.3% of national income across Africa – an economic cost of US$12 billion annually.

AMREF tackling malaria

Preventing malaria-related death and illness in poor, vulnerable and remote communities is one of AMREF’s most important priorities. Working with local communities and district health councils, AMREF is helping people vulnerable to malaria:

For example in Afar, Ethiopia, community health workers have distributed 145,000 treated bed nets. They also provide educational sessions using pictures specific to local cultures to help people understand the importance of using the nets. The community now understands the causes and symptoms of malaria and malaria-related deaths are decreasing.

Learn more about AMREF’s work;

• Preventing and treating new infections of HIV/AIDS 
  
• Raising awareness about Tuberculosis
  
• Improving Maternal Health
  
• Decreasing Water-borne Diseases
  

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more than 60% of the population living with HIV (24.7 million) or over 10% of region’s population.

In 2006, an estimated 2.8 million people in the region became newly infected.

AIDS is a long-term illness, and getting treatment in poor countries is costly. It depletes household income, and families often have to cut spending on school fees to pay for medication. More than three quarters of people who should be taking anti-retrovirals in Africa are not receiving them.

AIDS has created an explosion of TB in many countries, with many people affected by both illnesses. A recent study in sub-Saharan Africa also suggests that people with HIV are twice as likely to catch malaria as those without.

The death, sickness and absenteeism caused by these illnesses affects everyone – farmers, factory workers, teachers, students and doctors. Economic growth suffers as a result. At the same time, demand for public spending on AIDS treatment rises, diverting limited resources from other health care needs.

AIDS-related deaths in Africa have orphaned an estimated 12 million children and as many as 1,300 children die every day from the disease. New infections are mainly among women and young people – the gender inequality they experience means women are affected the worst.

AMREF tackling HIV/AIDS

AMREF works with local communities, local health councils and other networks to stop new infections of HIV and minimize its impact on people already infected.

Key to prevention and treatment is people’s ‘status awareness’, so we encourage voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for those who think they might be at risk.

We also raise awareness on how to prevent mother-to-child transmission, and work to reduce the stigma and gender-based discrimination that is often directed at those who are HIV-positive. Besides prevention, AMREF has supported community-based initiatives to improve access to treatment, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS and/or infected with TB.

In South Africa, for example, where HIV and drug-resistant TB rates are high, many people prefer to consult traditional healers rather than a doctor. In response we have trained more than 100 healers in counseling skills and developed their expertise on HIV/AIDS. The South African Department of Health is now equipping the healers with home-based care kits so they can reach clients at home.

This demonstrates our belief that communities should be central to the organization and delivery of local health services. It also shows our commitment to helping community groups and local voluntary organizations build and use the skills and resources they already have to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Learn more about AMREF’s work;

Young people are excluded from many public health interventions and international targets and goals. They are perceived to be free from the health risks of early childhood and far from illnesses associated with old age. Yet they are particularly vulnerable to many diseases, especially sexually transmitted infections, like HIV/AIDS.

Two-thirds of the people living with HIV in Africa are 15-24 years old.

But young people can make responsible decisions about their own health if given appropriate information, services and support. With support, they can also motivate others to make safe decisions and claim their rights to good health.

AMREF’s Work with Youth

AMREF is educating young people about HIV prevention in a youth-friendly way. Teachers and health workers are trained in making education more relevant to young people, by using song, dance and drama for example. And young people themselves are encouraged to get involved.

In northern Uganda AMREF is focusing on girls’ education. In Kitgum girls are learning about nutrition, personal hygiene and sanitation as well as malaria and HV/AIDS prevention. AMREF is also training teachers from the region in biology, chemistry and physics to provide girls with an academic foundation for a career in health care.

In Ethiopia we are running youth centres, offering training courses in hairdressing and metalwork, as well as good quality information on sexual and reproductive health.

We are also encouraging young people to get themselves tested for HIV by advertising our services in nightclubs and on radio programmes.

By involving as many young people as possible, we are helping to reduce the stigma attached to the disease.

In the long-term, AMREF is trying to close the gap that exists between young people and district authorities offering health services. In Kabale in Uganda, for example, we are empowering young people to demand better health services and encouraging district authorities to deliver them.

Learn more about AMREF’s work with:

• Children
  
• Nomadic Populations
  
• People Affected by Conflict
  
• People living in Urban Slums
  
• Women