Amref Health Africa has been named the winner of the 22nd Navarra International Award for Solidarity 2025, granted annually by the Department of Social Rights, Social Economy and Employment, in collaboration with Laboral Kutxa. Amref is the largest health organisation in Africa, serving 16 million people annually and operating in 35 countries across the continent.
The jury of the award, endowed with €25,000, which will be allocated to strengthening Amref’s healthcare work in Africa, highlighted the organisation’s alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the 2030 Agenda, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
The jury emphasised “its leadership in training healthcare professionals, technological innovation, the fight against female genital mutilation, and its response to crises such as the Rwandan genocide, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and COVID-19, in 37 African countries, with a notable presence in Uganda, Mauritania, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.”
The Minister for Social Rights, Social Economy and Employment, Carmen Maeztu, highlighted that “beyond its key role in healthcare, Amref also contributes to education and the reduction of inequalities across the African continent.” She agreed with the jury in valuing “the organisation’s long-standing presence and its reach across the countries where it operates.”
For his part, Laboral Kutxa’s Regional Director, Javier Cortajarena, underlined “the value of this award, which we have promoted jointly with the government from the outset. Over the years, we have addressed a wide range of global issues, and we are proud of that.” He also emphasised “Amref’s impact across an entire continent, benefiting 20 million people last year.”
As in previous years, the jury included: Carmen Maeztu, Minister for Social Rights, Social Economy and Employment; Javier Cortajarena, Regional Director of Laboral Kutxa; Begoña Pérez, representative of the Public University of Navarra (UPNA); Iciar Astiasaran, from the University of Navarra; Diana Lazcano, of the Felipe Rinaldi Foundation; and Juan Jesús Echaide, former Head of Communications at the Federation of Municipalities and Councils of Navarra.
Healthcare and Training for Health in Africa
Amref Health Africa, whose candidacy was proposed by Antonio Erro y Eugui S.A., is the largest African health organisation. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, it employs more than 2,400 people, 97% of whom are African. It operates in 35 African countries and has benefited over 129 million people since its founding.
From a local perspective, Amref addresses major structural challenges faced by African populations, such as the fragility of public health systems, shortages of healthcare professionals, unequal access to medical services—particularly for women and children—and the health impacts of climate change. In this context, it works in rural and peri-urban communities in vulnerable situations, promoting maternal, neonatal, and child health programmes, digital training, access to water, and disease prevention initiatives.
Amref began its work in 1957, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, with the so-called Flying Doctors—three physicians who decided to reach remote areas of the continent by small aircraft to provide medical assistance.
Ten Finalists in the 22nd Edition of the Awards
This year’s Navarra International Solidarity Awards received 36 nominations. Alongside the winner, Amref, nine other organisations and individuals were finalists for their outstanding work in the field of solidarity: Instituto San José de Calasanz; (MTS) Brazil – Landless Workers Movement; Prefecture Apostolic of Battambang; Anna Ferrer Perry; Comunità di Sant’Egidio; CECFOR; Alejandro Sebastián Servén; Fundación Esperanza y Alegría; and the Sahrawi Red Crescent (MLRS).
The jury praised “the human quality and exemplary work of all of them.”
The Navarra International Award for Solidarity aims to honor individuals, NGOs, and institutions distinguished by their work or trajectory toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)that shape the international agenda to 2030. Since its first edition in 2002, the Government of Navarra and Laboral Kutxa have granted this recognition to organisations and individuals from various continents and backgrounds.
In 2024, the award went to the Flora Tristán Peruvian Women’s Center, for its 45 years of work defending and promoting women’s rights, particularly among those affected by poverty, exclusion, and racial discrimination.
In 2023, the Inclusive Health Institute of Guatemala was recognised for its contribution to improving health conditions through social justice and multidisciplinary approaches, while in 2022, the award honored the Aita Mari Humanitarian Maritime Rescue Association for its humanitarian work assisting migrants and refugees on transit routes to Europe fleeing war and hunger.
Throughout its history, the Navarra International Award for Solidarity has honoured numerous prominent figures in sustainable development, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus; the Missionaries of Charity of Calcutta; the Jesuit Refugee Service; the Uganda Network of AIDS Service Organisations (UNASO); the International Federation of Fe y Alegría; the Order of Saint John of God; Wassu Gambia Kafo and Mama Samathe; the Apostolic Vicariate of Aguarico – Capuchin Mission in Ecuador; and Isabel Martín – Creative Handicraft.