American Friends of Afem Inc

Injuries kill more people than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB combined. Low-income countries suffer the highest rates of mortality from acute injuries, as well as from the acute complications of a range of other infectious and chronic diseases. 

Over half of these deaths in low- and middle-income countries could be addressed by the implementation of emergency care systems.  

Nevertheless, emergency care systems and services are virtually non-existent in much of Africa. Most African countries have have no ambulances or formally trained paramedics, most health workers in African countries have received no specialised emergency training, and some African countries have no hospital with an emergency department to stabilize acutely ill and injured patients. 

The American Friends of AFEM INC was founded to support the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM), an international nonprofit organization representing a broad coalition of national societies, organizations, and individuals from over 40 countries. Together, our mission involves advocacy, research, training, and policy development to ensure that  high-quality emergency care can be accessible by all people across Africa. 

Currently, we are working to meet a need far greater than our capacity. Our operations run almost entirely off of volunteer personnel and donations. This holiday season, we are fundraising to sustain and expand the life-saving emergency care services that countries across Africa so desperately need.

Our goal is to raise $50,000 by December 31st. It is an ambitious goal, but we believe deeply in the power, passion, and generosity of our community. 

This money will equip people and practitioners across Africa with the skills they need to address medical emergencies and save lives. 

• It will fund the expansion of the WHO’s basic emergency care (BEC) course to nurses across Zambia, where road accident deaths increased by 85% from 2012 to 2014. 
• In Uganda, it will fund the pilot training of community members in our emergency first aid responder (EFAR) course, 
• It will nearly double the reach of the 2nd Edition of the AFEM Handbook--a foundational resource for African emergency care--through funding its translation and publication into French. 

With your support, we can build sustainable systems to ensure that when emergencies happen, care is there. 

Donate to our life-saving work today!