Investing in Grassroots African Healthcare Organizations - African Diaspora Network

Impact and Innovation Forums 2021

Investing in Grassroots African Healthcare Organizations

Tuesday, May 25, 8:00 AM PST, 3:00 PM GMT

Hosted by the African Diaspora Network, Supported by Genentech and Tiba Foundation

Local grassroots healthcare organizations are a critical link between communities and the primary-healthcare system in Africa. There are more than 1 million Community Health Workers across sub-Saharan Africa alone, all working to reduce barriers to healthcare. They provide low-cost healthcare solutions and public health awareness to their community

Africa carries much of the world’s disease burden, but has minimal access to resources. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General, “The developing world carries 90% of the disease burden, yet poorer countries have access to only 10% of the resources that go to health.” Furthermore, according to the Foundation Center, only 1.1% of international giving is given to local organizations.

Besides a lack of funding, a lack of power is also in play. This March, the UNA-NCA African Affairs Committee hosted a virtual panel discussion that discussed the importance of economic investment and unique collaborations within African health care. Panelist Dr. Yolanda Ogbolu, the Chair of the Partnerships, Professional Education and Practice Department and Associate Professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Nursing (UMSON) and School of Medicine, noted, “People and countries are really cracking because they’re focusing under the assumption that money is the most important thing, but power is the real protagonist of the story: power of the few, powerlessness of many, collective power of those fighting for change.” Marginalized communities need to be able to express their needs. They need to be listened to.” Afterall, they are a trusted partner to those who live in the community.

What can be done to shift the power to African grassroots health organizations? How can the diaspora invest in African grassroots health organizations? What is needed for these local health organizations to access more international giving?

Speakers

Diane Dodge leads the Tiba Foundation, connecting Kenyan partners with funding, expertise, strategic partnerships, and volunteers to advance access and quality of medicine and medical education in rural Kenya. Diane is also committed to youth; she serves as a mentor for the United Nations Young Professionals and has 15+ years of experience supporting under-resourced students to access and complete college.

Dan Ogola, Founder and CEO of Matibabu Foundation Kenya (MFK) in Siaya County, Kenya. Ogola has an MBA in healthcare management from Strathmore Business School and 16 years of experience in health administration and innovation. Ogola developed Matibabu Hospital, a Level-4 teaching and referral hospital that serves 30,000 patients annually; Matibabu Foundation College of Health Sciences, a top-performing Nursing School accredited by the Nursing Council of Kenya; and a robust network of community health workers connecting rural families to MFK’s comprehensive health programs. Ogola has been a featured social entrepreneur on CNN’s The Next List and selected as an African Visionary Fellow with the Segal Family Foundation.

Nancy’s background is in healthcare, and her main interest is in health systems strengthening and capacity building of healthcare providers in East Africa. She is also focused on the chronic lack of funding for local community-based organizations, and the need to shift resources and power to local entities from foreign-based I-NGOs. She completed a Master of Science in Nursing Education, and a Post-Masters Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate at Georgetown University. She is currently Chair of the Board of Health Builders International, as well as the Chair of the YPO Rwanda Action Forum.

Rebecca Stevens heads global health partnerships for the Corporate Affairs and Global Health team at Novartis. Within this role, she secures and implements partnerships to fix gaps in and transform health systems in low-middle income countries. She builds collaborations with strategic partners to ensure that health services and affordable therapies reach patients in need. Prior to this, Rebecca was in charge of Access Partnerships and Government Affairs for Novartis Social Business, an initiative launched in 2015 that provides affordable medicines for infectious and non-communicable diseases to low-income patients.