H.O.P.E FOR AFRIKA

HUMANITY, OPENNESS, PEACE and EQUALITY

H.O.P.E for AFRIKA is a humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to relieving suffering through health care interventions, education and poverty reduction programs. Established in 2009 by volunteer Dr. Jean Michel Kayumba, MD physician frustrated to reach out only to those privileged who can get access to his air-conditioned consultation room leaving out the large number exposed to hardship and poverty. H.O.P.E for AFRIKA is a private, humanitarian, charitable, non-profit, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization.

Vision:

To be the trusted leader in transforming healthcare landmarks delivery in Africa and services into solutions that improve healthcare access, quality and population outcome in Africa.

Mission:

Providing service, impacting lives and caring for people.

Cores Values:

We must always;

Act with integrity and treat others with respect.

To be fully accountable and execute project flawlessly.

To be committed to continuous improvement

Advocate for humanity, openness, peace and equality.

Foster innovation.

Nurture collaboration, learning, development, engagement, and recognize performance.

Background:

An estimated 1,606,190 African immigrants (2010 US Census) have fled to the United States alone? Issues with the government and politics partnered with pure poverty drive millions of Africans out of their homes and into countries like the USA and Canada. Repressive governments cause violent turmoil and distress to rule over many peoples lives. Those who come to the United States quickly build a better life for themselves, though they are vulnerable and insecure for months after moving. Unfortunately, not all impoverished African citizens can make their way to a better life. Its difficult to imagine, sometimes, what it would be like to live with rash persecutions, brutal natural disasters, a crumbling economy, constant war, and poverty. But for the citizens of many poor African countries, its a harsh reality.

Because Africa remains a devastatingly poor and underdeveloped continent, diseases like HIV and Malaria run ramped through small villages and rural communities. The horrifying fact is that many catastrophic issues in these communities remain untouched due to both the corrupt African government and the remote location of many communities. Literacy levels are slowly improving, (in 1990 the adult literacy rate was about 52 percent - in 2008 it was almost 63 percent) but are still ranked among the lowest in the world, as they have been for many years. Literacy is important - a high quality education is the grounds for building a life of success- however it is often ignored due to higher priorities. Because the ability to read and write is considered inferior to other skills, one in three adults in sub-Saharan Africa cannot read; that equates to about 176 million adults. Almost 21 million adolescents are not receiving a formal education, and 47 million youths are illiterate. Poverty remains widespread and common. Lack of an adequate water supply, frequent tribal conflicts, malnutrition, and generally poor health are just a few of the heavy burdens weighing on thousands of peoples shoulders. Thats where H.O.P.E steps in- we feel its our moral obligation to help lift that weight, and promote access to health care for uninsured and devastated communities.

Often times in poor countries, the aftermaths of wars and horrendous natural disasters end up being significantly more devastating than the original issue. Damaged, decaying, economies and unlimited health problems are usually the results of destructive events. People are left susceptibly weak and wrecked as they try and pick up the pieces. H.O.P.E wants to be there to assist people in the arduous, fatiguing, and difficult process of fixing things back up, promote affordable access to health care, clean water, and education in less-fortunate communities in Africa.

We are Humanity Openness Peace and Equality- We are a charitable, non-profit organization set out to relieve the limits of health-care in impoverished areas around the world. We have a key to unlocking the amazing potential knowledge and health just outside the reach of many communities. With only a little bit of training, we can help indigent citizens of poverty-stricken areas support themselves. After that, the ripple effect comes into play. Creative new ideas and alternate methods shared with a few people eventually reach to the far corners of the world.

H.O.P.E was built on the fundamental belief that health care and education are basic rights, not to be denied to anyone. We want to help enact a universal health care program providing quality care that is affordable and culturally sensitive. Our ideas are cost-efficient and can be enacted by businesses, consumers, and governments.

Focus:

Our primary focus is on the most vulnerable people:

- Those in rural and impoverished region in Africa

- Those recently devastated by the destruction of wars and natural disasters (Droughts, floods, famine, epidemic, and storms are among the many natural disasters occurring regularly in Africa)

- Those facing linguistic and cultural barriers as they try to access North American health systems

.PROGRAMS:

Patient centered care model program:

health care that establishes a partnership among practitioners, patients, and their families to help ensure that decision respect patients wants and needs and that patients have the education and support they need to make decisions and participate in their own care.

That is the definition of a new and revolutionary idea called patient centered care. It means better coordination and collaboration between multiple health care delivery systems and select communities, and more support for public education and outreach so that everyone understands and comprehends facts and changes in their health policies and services. We want to encourage as well as promote good health policies and the importance of education to the near and far corners of the world, prominently in vulnerable places where such an education is difficult to come by. By building a strong, better, and education now - we lay the ground work for even greater education possibilities in the future- illuminating completely new and exciting prospects.

With a little hard work, we could go on to raise the literacy rate, create a sound and stable infrastructure for water supply as well as health care, and almost completely eliminate waterborne diseases. Clean and sanitary resources are of extreme value and are often times difficult to find. Better sanitation means lower risk of Malaria, Tuberculosis, and AIDS, as well as greatly decreased chances of infant mortality. It can be somewhat difficult, in impoverished countries, to find the resources crucially needed to restore the health, the home, and the life of those struggling to make things work. H.O.P.E has the high-caliber tools to necessary to help- and we want to share them with the world!

We are aiming to conduct in depth preliminary studies and then develop, in close liaison with local health authorities, an advanced, contemporary program designed to asses as well as identify, the preferences and the needs of affected populations. If we provide the essential basic training for health professionals and continue to promote all activities enabling the dissemination of new skills, a bigger impact will be made than even thinkable. By providing medicine, health training, and experience, and health care support, H.O.P.E makes an imprint. To be able to put the plan into action, we will need to jumpstart a networking care system, so as to have a backbone for the operation.

Healthcare access program

Health should be a right - not an option. Today in Africa 1 in every 16 women die in childbirth, and every 1 in 5 children die under the age of 5- that shouldnt be a reality. Nigeria has the second largest proportion of maternal deaths of all the countries in the world. More than 99% of all child-birth deaths occur in developing countries, and furthermore, more than one half of these deaths transpire in sub-Saharan Africa. Respiratory infections, malaria, AIDS, and measles shouldnt determine the course of someones life. Everyone is entitled to a future, yet many dont get a chance to reach their full potential.

69% of all people living with HIV are found in Africa, and most of them dont live past 30. Sub- Saharan Africa accounts for more than 70 percent of all HIV/AIDS deaths (as of 2011 data reports) Dramas like this are preventable! Almost three quarters of deaths could be prevented through better nutrition, monitoring of women during their pregnancies, and access to health care.

We have several programs running, each focusing on different things:

The Rural Health Program

This program was begun after observation of a contrast found in many African countries. A high proportion of unemployed doctors in the city, and a lack of medical health in underserved rural areas. We support countries as they build basic health infrastructure by encouraging young physicians to settle near their communities and villages, providing them with the necessary tools in their efforts to provide care for children, orphans, mentally disabled patients, and people in great pain. The aim is to have physicians spread out over rural areas equally, leaving nowhere untouched and uneducated about how to stay healthy. Medical staff could educate inhabitants on nutrition, sanitation, how to reduce maternal mortality, and how to prevent the start and spread of epidemics. Not only that, but the physician would play a huge role in the development of the new generation.

Healthcare system Program

If we can improve the health care system, there are much better chances of getting medical staff to treat patients in rural areas. There are several parts necessary to build a decent health system. You need vaccinations, trained staff, clean environments, vitamins, and clean and purified water. H.O.P.E is accumulating all the pieces to assemble an exceptional and exemplary health program. With a stronger and more supportive backbone (infrastructure), the health care system could become efficient and widespread.

Clean Water Program

Many diseases are waterborne, and spread very quickly. The epidemics are often difficult to stop due to dehydration or malnutrition of African citizens. Water is difficult to come by, and is usually not very clean or sanitary. There is no decent method to filtering the water, so infections can spread incredibly quickly. Dehydration results in diarrhea, delirium, and a weakened immune system. Malnutrition results in muscle/bone weakness, painfully swollen and bleeding gums, stunted growth, and poor immune function. If not treated, these conditions can (and unfortunately, often do) result in death.

Medical Surplus Recovery, Collection, and Redistribution Program

North American hospitals generate millions of tons of medical waste each year. Much off that waste is made up of unused medical supplies and old medical devices. These items are dismissed without a concern of an environmental footprint, or the cost endured by taxpayers. Meanwhile, the World health Organization estimates that the mortality rate of children under the age of 5 is 199 out of every 1000. The mortality rate for child bearing mothers is 670 out of every 1000. All of this because steps were not taken to prevent the spread of diseases and conditions in areas where health care systems are poor or inexistent. H.O.P.E plays a major role in facilitating the transfer of surplus medical supplies and medical equipment to the places where they are most needed by using a safe and tested medical surplus recovery and redistribution channel system.

There are three basic phases of the program:

1. Identify the plausible or confirmed hospital donors - Assess their interests - Explain the benefits and possibilities - Deal with any barriers or myths concerning medical device donation

2. Asses the capacity for responsibility of the recipients - Determine where the materials will be used correctly and responsibly

3. Asses the donation recipients needs and values - Determine where the donation will be the most productive, and of the most use

After working in Africa, we realized two major things:

A) The skills are there - many citizens of Africa have experience in medical fields, but are unemployed. Others have chosen the path of exile, and have fled to alternate locations.

B) The most severe problem is the poor infrastructure of the health care system. Medical supplies are scarce, medical equipment is near and far between.

Achievements:

Since being established in 2009, H.O.P.E has worked closely with partners to strengthen both human and medical resources. We have also provided adequate training for medical staff, and patched up some of the distinct holes in the crumbling infrastructure. With tools in hand, weve started to build a better future for the inhabitants of distressed and destroyed communities- changing the world a little at a time.

Join us:

Join us! Its absolutely necessary that we acquire new resources to fulfill the needs of those who do not have what they are entitled to. Things like health care and home shouldnt be negotiable ideals. Often times men, women, and children must walk up to 60 miles to reach a health center where there is no medical equipment, no diagnostic labs, and no pharmacy. Regrettably, usually when they arrive it is far too late. Emergency medical teams are necessary to save lives in the event of disasters and everyday life. Besides financial support, we are also looking for men and women who share our concerns, our values, and our beliefs, to join us.

Contact information:

Contact us!We would love to hear from you. Questions, comments, or ideas? Email or call!

Were located at:1056 Forest Avenue, Portland Maine 04103

Call us:

+1-647-716-1506

Email us:info@hoppeforafrika.org

The Board of Directors:

Dr. Jean Michel Kayumba, MD.Founder and Chairman

Dr. Jean Michel Kayumba is a respected physician, excellently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, University of Kinshasa medical school alumni, where he acquired a Bachelors Degree in Medicine. Immigrated to South Africa in 2000, where he practiced for 12 years and gained extensive experience in OB &GYN, Clinical and program management of Tuberculosis. He has participated in several forums around the word on the issue of TB elimination, and in the draft of the South American National Tuberculosis Program.

Dr. Kayumba is a researcher, a public health expert, with certifications in Multiple Drug Resistance Tuberculosis, recognized by the World Health Organization. Because of his incredible contribution to the management of multiple drugs resistance tuberculosis and the fight against TB. His experience in clinical trial comes from his work as an investigator in phase III of TMC 207, an antimicrobial molecule. Pro Bono consultant with the Maine Health Workforce Forum and the Internationally Trained Professional Welcome Initiative. Worked as the State of Maine refugee Health Program coordinator.