Swiss Organisation for Health in Africa
SolidarMed For Health in Africa.
«My daughter is alive!» I lost my son due to malaria. Back then, I did not know what to do if my child had a high fever. To give him more warmth, I put him close to the fire in the evening, and during the day, I placed him in the sun. But it didn’t help, my little one died. Only later, at a meeting organised by SolidarMed, it was explained to me how I can reduce a child’s fever. When my daughter recently fell sick, I tried it: I wrapped her in a wet cloth and asked for advice at the health centre. My child re ceived some medicine and recovered. I think of my son a lot. If I had known back then what I know now, he would still be with me. Nala, farmer from Tanzania
SolidarMed’s projects complement each other thematically and focus on the sustainable improvement of the health situation of the local population.
SolidarMed Health for all. Imagine you are very ill but ▪ there is only one doctor for 100 000 people ▪ the next hospital is 50km away and you can only reach it on foot ▪ the life-saving medication is not available ▪ there is no clean drinking water and no toilet For many people in southern Africa, this is the bitter reality: they don’t even have enough to cater to their basic needs and have no access to medical care. Countless people die of preventable diseases. Life expectancy is a mere 42 years. One out of six children do not live to see their 5th birthday.
Despite the deadly virus, HIV positive people can now live a normal life – thanks to lifelong therapy. Picture: SolidarMed health worker during a home visit to an HIV/Aids patient.
SolidarMed for Health in Africa. SolidarMed is committed to better health care for the poorest people in the rural areas of Africa. We orient ourselves towards the goals of the World Health Organisation (WHO):
▪ Reduction of child mortality ▪ Improving health care for women and mothers ▪ Treatment of chronic diseases, malnutrition and hunger ▪ The fight against HIV/Aids ▪ Protection from malaria
Health is the most important precondition for a dignified life. Only the healthy have the strength and the potential to escape acute poverty.
Less is often more – the deliberate focus on one region in Africa ensures the quality of our work. Map: SolidarMed focal countries and project sites ( )
Tanzania Dodoma
Dar es Salaam
Zambia Lusaka Harare
Zimbabwe Lesotho Maseru
Moçambique Maputo
SolidarMed helps sustainably.
Close contact of our staff on site with the directly affected and their families is of primary importance to our work. Picture: a mother receiving health advice in Chiúre, Moçambique Knowledge protects from diseases. We inform the population about health hazards like malaria or HIV/Aids. This knowledge is the most important precondition for sustainable protection. Only those who know the risks can you protect themselves and their families. Better health care. We improve basic medical services where needed. Whether a hospital’s infrastructure is improved, local staff is trained or a Swiss doctor is deployed depends on local needs. Optimised health management. In addition to prevention and improved medical care, strengthening the management of health systems is another important component of our work. This improves existing structures in the long term. Please visit: www.solidarmed.ch for further information.
SolidarMed Swiss Organisation for Health in Africa SolidarMed has been improving the health situation of people in southern Africa since 1926 and helps ensure that the right to health is also extended to the poorest people. SolidarMed does not build its own hospitals but rather works closely with local partner institutions. We integrate our projects into existing structures. SolidarMed consciously focuses on health and on southern Africa. SolidarMed supports partner hospitals in medical, technical and operational areas. SolidarMed deploys – only where most appropriate – doctors and other professionals. Donations: SolidarMed is a ZEWO certified organisation and makes efficient and diligent use of donations (www.zewo.ch). Payments can be made online by credit card: www.solidarmed.ch or to our donation account directly: IBAN CH0909000000600014339; BIC POFICHBEXXX Thank you for your support!
For further information please contact: www.solidarmed.ch or: SolidarMed, Obergrundstrasse 97, 6000 Luzern 4, Switzerland Email: contact@solidarmed.ch, Phone: +41 41 310 66 60