Health

Africa is, by far, the world region worst affected by Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and the pandemic continues to deepen and widen. More than 70 percent of all cases worldwide are found on the continent, and all but one of the 25 most affected countries are in Africa. Several African countries now have an HIV infection rate that exceeds 20 percent of the population. Last year, 3.5 million more Africans became infected, about 7 new people every minute.

Millions of people, thousands of communities, and numerous national economies have been ravaged by Ebola/ AIDS. Daunting statistics only begin to tell the story of devastation.

  • Almost 30 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa were living with AIDS virus, including ten million young people (aged 15-24) and almost 3 million children under 15. Two-thirds of the young people living with AIDS are female.

  • AIDS has already claimed the lives of more than 20 million Africans, including an estimated 2.4 million last year alone. Eighty percent were in their prime of life.

  • The pandemic has orphaned more than 11 million children in Africa. By 2010, an estimated 20 million children will have lost one or both parents to HIV/ AIDS and, in four African countries with the highest infection rates, one in five children will be orphans.

  • The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has now taken the lives of more than 6,346 people and infected more than 17,800 people in the region. Ebola is a threat to people, health systems and economies around the globe. But West African communities in particular are being mostly impacted daily by Ebola as a result of various, including inadequate medical facilities, shortage of health workers and basic amenities, such as ambulances, beds and medications.

In addition to its tremendous toll on life, both Ebola and AIDS has had a devastating economic impact at the family, community, and national levels in Africa. It has destroyed traditional economic and social safety nets, made orphanages necessary as a new phenomenon in some societies, rendered many families destitute, undermined increases in productivity, threatened the viability of development investments, and overburdened already strained government budgets.

Mitigation efforts are vitally important in reducing the economic and social consequences of the pandemic. Experience in Uganda and Senegal shows that African-driven prevention programs can be effective in reducing the infection rate.

Our mission is to provide assistance directly to local clinics and hospitals in Africa in the following areas:

  • Drug Therapy – Currently in Africa, the availability of medicine is scarce and cost-prohibitive to most patients. Health & Education Foundation for Africa will assist local health practitioners in obtaining drugs donated from all over the world, to be distributed to patients in Africa.

  • Community Forums / Public Awareness – Informs the community and local health care professionals by developing a communication network between local and international experts and practitioners, and hosting workshop and seminars to discuss current development. African Health & education Fund will provide an open network for exchanging ideas and information on a regular basis through video conferencing, email and distribution of DVD of past seminars on Ebola and HIV/ AIDS and prevention.

  • Patient Education / Adherence Support – Provide individualize education and training to patients with optimal support for living with HIV / AIDS and how to control further spread of Ebola.

  • Local Volunteer Program – HIV/ AIDS and Ebola are still considered taboo in most communities. Through on-going workshop and forums with local leaders in the community, Health & Education Foundation for Africa is committed to developing local volunteers to help infected women, children and youth on a daily basis and provide emotional support.