Amref Health Africa received a special recognition at the Gala Dinner to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) held on 17th June 2023 in Kinshasa.
As a partner of OAFLAD, Amref was awarded for its interventions aimed at improving health and well-being of women and children in Africa – which are critical areas of focus for the OAFLAD. Additionally, Amref was lauded for the continued support to the work that African First Ladies are doing, most of which entails advocating for unique health needs of women and children.
The award was presented by Her Excellency, Monica Geingos, First Lady of Namibia, and President of OAFLAD. While speaking after receiving the award, Desta Lakew, the Amref’s Group Director, Partnerships and External Affairs expressed gratitude for the recognition and reiterated Amref’s commitment to working together with OAFLAD in improving access to healthcare for women and girls in Africa. “We are deeply honoured by the commendation and we congratulate the First Ladies for using their platforms of influence to bridge the gender gap. Their collective voices have kept women and children at the centre of health and education – areas that are at the core of our programming,” she said.
The meeting, themed ‘Closing Gaps in Gender Equity’, concluded with resounding commitments from leaders to bridge the gender gaps in education and health, strengthen economic inclusion for women across Africa and foster regional partnerships for collective growth and development. The session was attended by First Ladies from Ghana, Sierra Leonne, Kenya, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Niger, Comoros and Burundi and representatives of development partners. Other countries represented were – Zambia, Nigeria, Ethiopia Congo, Malawi, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, the Gambia and Rwanda.
This comes barely one year after Amref signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the First Lady of Malawi, H.E Monica Chakwera. The MoU provides a strong framework for accelerating and strengthening quality education among marginalised girls in Malawi through enhancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Amref Health Africa works with governments and communities to empower thousands of health workers and community health workers/volunteers in Africa to offer care and support to women and girls in need of reproductive and other health services. Through forums such as the Africa Health Agenda International Conference, Amref has been at the forefront in influencing discussions aimed at strengthening policies and laws as well as increasing investments that can help expand access health services to diverse groups of people, including women, girls and children.