Every year, we partner with communities in more than 40 African countries to sustainably strengthen health systems and improve access to life-saving care. Our vision is of a world where high-quality healthcare is accessible and affordable to all.
Amref Health Africa Switzerland was established in 2025 to support Amref’s work across the continent.
Amref Health Africa started life in 1957 as the Flying Doctors of East Africa, when our founders used a fleet of aircraft to connect remote communities with high-quality healthcare.
Almost seven decades later, our guiding purpose remains the same: we still set out to bridge the gap between people and services – but the way we do this has evolved in line with the continent’s changing needs.
Today, instead of planes, we use mobile clinics, bicycles, and mobile, tele- and e-medicine to bring life-saving care close to where people live and work. We train health workers who are embedded in their communities, ensuring they have the skills, equipment, and conditions they need to thrive. We strengthen health systems from within, removing the barriers that prevent people from accessing the care they need and deserve.
Every year, Amref Health Africa brings information and services that save and change lives to millions of people in dozens of countries. Our work focuses on:
Everything we do is informed by our African identity. Because we are anchored in communities, and because our programmes are designed in partnership with them, we are able to adapt to evolving needs and address new challenges – like the climate crisis, the rise in NCDs, pandemic preparedness, or the specific health needs of Africa’s young people – as soon as they arise.
At the same time, as a trusted partner of governments across the continent, we work to build an enabling environment by developing policies that prioritise health and advocating for increased investment in health systems.
We are an Africa-led organisation that is rooted in the communities we serve. We channel and catalyse local expertise and energy: because we know that communities have the solutions to the challenges they face.
Amref Health Africa Switzerland is part of a family that extends around the world. Our programmes are implemented through offices in 8 countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal (our West Africa hub, also overseeing projects in Côte d’Ivoire and the Republic of Guinea), South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. In 2025, we worked in a total of 43 African countries, partnering with local civil society organisations (CSOs) in countries where we do not have a physical presence.
Our African offices are supported by another 9 offices in Europe and North America, which are primarily responsible for securing funds to support our work and raising Amref Health Africa’s global profile, ensuring that community voices are heard in the rooms where decisions are made.
Beyond the NGO, the Amref family includes other valuable members that enhance our ability to respond to the continent’s rapidly-changing health needs: Amref Flying Doctors (AFD), and Amref International University (AMIU).
