Health & HIV/AIDS

Of all the regions of the world,--from the number of clinics, hospitals and medical personnel, to infant, child and maternal mortality, death from preventable or curable illness, rates of prevalence of malnutrition and tropical diseases – and now, overwhelmingly, HIV/AIDS – Sub-Saharan Africa presents the most serious health problems and has by far the fewest resources to care for the health of its people.

 The statistics are daunting:

• 1 out of every 5 African children dies before his or her fifth birthday—the highest mortality rate of any region in the world.

• Every year more than a million people worldwide die of malaria—90% of those deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Africans represent 64%of the world’s people living with HIV/AIDS—an estimated 25.4 million.

• In the United States, life expectancy at birth is 77 years-- in Sub-Saharan Africa it averages just 46 years; and it has dropped below 40 in some war-torn countries and those especially hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

• Medical personnel are in short supply—in many countries there is just one doctor for 10,000 to 25,000 people.

Africare’s first project, in 1970, was to assist an understaffed, under-equipped rural health clinic in the West African region of Niger. Ever since, Africare has maintained its commitment to the health of the African people. Numerous programs seek to improve mother and child health, fight diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, maternal and child health as well as to improve nutrition, access to clean water, personal hygiene education and  behavior change communication especially in rural hard to reach areas – where, very often, there is no access to even basic medical care.

Paying explicit attention to gender parity has also enhanced the effectiveness of Africare’s health, nutrition and hygiene initiatives. Our projects directly involve women in the implementation process as community volunteers and at the same time enhance women’s knowledge, skills and their status in the communities. Recognizing the role men play in the decision making process with regard to accessing health care services, Africare also targets men with specific messages that address gender norms in the African context.  For instance, in Zimbabwe Africare recruited and trained men to provide Home Based Care for AIDS patients, thus reducing the burden on women.