Amref Health Africa is an NGO based in Kenya that works to empower young Africans. The organization provides people with the skills necessary to become innovative and ethical leaders of Africa. The group created several leadership programs and research programs to transform Africa. Its new program, LEAP, is a mobile phone training platform designed to train employees and students about health precautions and safety outside of the classroom setting.

Who is Amref Health Africa?

Amref Health Africa is an African-led organization founded in 1957 to establish “lasting health change in Africa” with its mission “To increase sustainable health access to communities in Africa through solutions in human resources for health, health service delivery and investments in health.”

The NGO works to improve health care for the people in Africa while also strengthening health care systems. Amref Health Africa has headquarters in Kenya and partners with different organizations around the world to promote power and unity. Amref Health Africa runs 22 global offices and 35 different programs in Africa to bolster health care efforts.

Through Amref Health Africa’s partnership with Accenture, Kenyan Ministry of Health, M-Pesa Foundation, Safaricom and Mezzanine, LEAP, the mobile health learning application, was created. The application has allowed health care workers and students to work effectively outside of a classroom setting.

LEAP’s Benefits during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Recently, LEAP users employed the app to strengthen the COVID-19 response. The program instructs community health workers on how to raise awareness about the virus. LEAP also provides information on the best precaution methods for the community. Thanks to LEAP, health care workers have learned to take the necessary steps to promote safety and awareness in Africa. So far, more than 78,000 community health workers have received training and are using their education to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

In response to the pandemic, LEAP launched a two-month campaign in Kenya. Through the campaign,  health care workers received training to identify, isolate and refer suspected COVID-19 cases. Participants also learned how to identify high-risk areas and reduce the transmission of the disease.

Results

The LEAP app allows customization of the training content to fit the needs of the audience. It takes into consideration the skill level of the people using the app and modifications can be made to the language and audio section depending on user preference. LEAP allows personalization to ensure that the app can be effective for all users.

LEAP has strengthened the health care system in Africa by helping to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The mobile training app also addressed the spread of misinformation on the virus by providing accurate COVID-19 information to users. LEAP has provided Africa with the knowledge necessary to arm and defend itself against the COVID-19 pandemic.

– Isha Bedi
Photo: Flickr