SEATTLE, Washington — COVID-19 continues to spread throughout Africa and many organizations are working to contain it, treat patients and raise funds for various related efforts. Amref Health Africa is one of these organizations which is working toward a coronavirus-free continent.
Amref Health Africa emerged in 1957. Its primary vision centers around long-term health improvements for Africans such as increased health access and resources. The organization promises to improve lives, bridge health gaps and advocate and act as a leader for the health of various African communities.
But, a call to action regarding COVID-19 has supplemented some of the organization’s more long-term goals. Amref Health Africa’s COVID-19 response centers around four designated focuses:
4 Focuses of Amref Health Africa’s COVID-19 Response Centers
- Training Health Workers: Amref is spending many of its efforts on the training of community health leaders and workers to fight the infection levels on the continent. Kenya is a primary focus of the organization and has already seen 53,000 of these workers receive training to contain the spread. In April 2020, Amref received a generous donation of $1 million to provide various medical equipment to healthcare workers and patients, which was an encouraging notion of support for its efforts.
- Providing Access to Clean Water and Proper Sanitation: Having access to safe water and hygienic sanitation practices are critical to ending COVID-19. With safe water, citizens can properly wash their hands, which is one of the primary ways to stay protected from the virus. Proper handwashing can reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses by up to 21%. Amref is making both access to clean water and proper sanitation a key part of its response by providing handwashing materials to areas with large populations in need.
- Testing and Laboratory Strengthening: Amref Health Africa’s COVID-19 Response is also attempting to bring strong testing practices to the continent. The organization has the determination to improve diagnostic capabilities both on the ground and through ever-evolving technology. It has provided kits for testing along with new training for technicians through a digital format to keep both the technician and future patients as safe as possible. Thus far, Africa as a whole has received praise for reacting quickly and responsibly to implementing testing. In fact, it had testing available in 43 countries by April 2020.
- Mitigating the Secondary Impacts: The organization’s final pillar of response centers around the secondary impacts of the coronavirus. The impacts it highlights include, “malnutrition, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, gender and sexual-based violence, and infectious and non-communicable diseases.” Amref claims to be adjusting some of its pre-existing programs to better account for the inevitable demands required by the shockwaves of COVID-19. As the virus has already begun to threaten the stability of communities and economies as well as public health, Amref recognizes that for the world to truly rid itself of the virus, the secondary impacts must be a primary concern.
Amref Health Africa’s COVID-19 response has already been admirable, but the organization recognizes that there is still an immense amount of work necessary in order to protect those threatened by the virus. Especially in the matter of Africa’s most at-risk populations, it is imminent that community members and organization workers band together to protect and serve.
– Aradia Webb
Photo: Flickr