Saved the lives of 241 newborns who were born not breathing
Improved the quality of care for 2,369,009 patient visit
Tested 203,662 patients for HIV
IMPROVED CARE FOR MOTHERS AND NEWBORNS IN 60,738 BABY DELIVERIES
HELPED HEALTHCARE FACILITIES increase their patient volume by 144% after just one year of LifeNet partnership
In the early years of LifeNet International, a Burundian pastor told our staff, “We have a word for what you do—you guherekeza. In Burundi, when friends leave your home it is the custom to walk with them until you’re certain they will reach their destination safely. That’s guherekeza.”
Over the years, this pastor’s words have stuck with us and informed how we conduct our work with health facilities and health workers in sub-Saharan Africa.
The health facilities we work with are true partners and friends. Driven by our Christian commitment to heal the sick, we walk with our partners as they journey along the road to high-quality healthcare, sustainability, and holistic Christian ministry in their health facilities.
In 2019, we walked with 178 health facilities in Burundi, Uganda, Malawi, and the DRC, as they improved the quality of care for 2,369,009 patient visits, saving and improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable women, children, and men in the world.
In a world full of disheartening news, devastating health statistics, and ongoing instability, we believe there is reason to hope. There is hope in the face of every health worker who discovers a renewed sense of purpose, hope in the eyes of a mother whose newborn baby is successfully resuscitated, and hope in the hands of health facility staff who learn to integrate their faith into every area of their work. The stories and data contained in this report are a few of these signs of hope—signs that God is working through local church-run health facilities to bring hope and healing to underserved and vulnerable people in Africa.
Rooted in this hope, we will continue to “guherekeza” with our partner health facilities until every health worker is equipped and able to provide life-saving care to their patients. We hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look into our work together. Thank you for journeying with us!
With deep gratitude,
Dave Evans
President
Our Christian faith and commitment to justice, compassion, and caring for the poor motivate our work. We believe that all people, made in the image of God, should have the opportunity to live healthy and whole lives.
By 2023, LifeNet plans to operate in 10 countries, improving 10 million patient visits every year at an annual cost of $10 million.
LifeNet’s total number of health facility partners
grew by 37% in 2019!
Total catchment population for LifeNet Partner Facilities
Health facilities receive the following services through LifeNet partnership. Together, we work to strengthen their existing health workforce and ensure that patients receive sustainable, compassionate, life-saving healthcare.
In-person training and mentoring in five modules of clinical care best practices.
Four modules of in-person training in financial, human resources, and administrative best practices.
LifeNet provides health center partners with access to quality medicines at affordable prices.
LifeNet provides partners with essential medical equipment and supplies.
LifeNet provides ongoing, in-person, rigorous monitoring and evaluation alongside all interventions, ensuring long-term behavior change.
Duke Global Health Institute Study validated LifeNet’s impact on maternal & neonatal healthcare
(see here)
Awarded the 2019 “Best in Class – Medical” Henry Schein Cares Medal
Grew our health facility partnership network by 37% in just one year
Successfully concluded a cutting-edge NCD Pilot in Uganda leading to improved health outcomes for patients
(see here)
Spent just $1 per patient visit improved across all LifeNet partners
“In Burundi, when friends leave your home it is the custom to walk with them until you’re certain they will reach their destination safely.
That’s guherekeza.”
We are committed to walking with our partners
as they progress on their journey toward…
We address leading causes of preventable deaths through high-impact training.
We encourage facilities to integrate their Christian faith into their work to heal the sick in their communities.
Every day, 2,164 babies and 407 mothers in Africa die from preventable causes.
BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.
LifeNet walks with facilities on the journey to high-quality, lifesaving healthcare.
LifeNet training and mentoring addresses leading causes of death for mothers, newborns, and children, along with targeted training in infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and more.
LifeNet’s partner health facilities dramatically improve their quality of care through LifeNet training.
MEET BABY JADE
Stella Matovu is a new mom who recently gave birth to her son Jade at Nkoni Health Center, a LifeNet partner in Uganda. Read her account of their difficult experience below, in her own words.
“During my delivery, I had complications and the baby was born weak, tired, and needed help to breathe. Thankfully, God was on our side. The health workers acted quickly and were able to work on him and resuscitate him in a short time. Baby Jade perked up and was healthy within a few hours. We started breastfeeding and he has had no other issues thanks to the care we received.
I am very thankful to Nkoni Health Centre. Unlike other facilities I’ve visited, the Nkoni health workers are caring and they were there for me throughout my pregnancy and in my difficult delivery.”
-Stella Matovu (pictured below with Medina, a nurse from Nkoni Health Center)
Health workers trained in clinical care best practices
Improved patient visits
Patients tested for HIV
Malaria patient visits
Deliveries improved
Patients screened for hypertension and diabetes
Pieces of equipment delivered
Medicine deliveries to facilities
Health workers can perform infant CPR & save newborns
Health workers can treat postpartum
hemorrhage & save mothers
Health workers follow medical protocols for
handwashing, reducing infections and saving lives
Health workers can perform infant assessments, identifying concerns and improving infant quality of life
Prior to working with LifeNet, health facilities have a 9% rate of tracking daily revenues and expenses, leaving them at risk for financial instability and health facility closure.
BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.
LifeNet walks with facilities on the journey to sustainability, improving healthcare for some of the most vulnerable patients in the world.
FACILITIES DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THEIR MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THROUGH LIFENET PARTNERSHIP.
“For a while I stopped coming to this facility because many things were not being handled well.
For instance, the prices were not predicted and mostly very high, the cleanliness of the facility very poor and there was no security for our bicycles.
But this year we have seen a lot of changes happening: the place is clean, at the entrance there is always a person who welcome us and tell us how to go about in the facility and keep our properties safe, inside the facility we are warmly welcomed by the receptionist and prices of medicine are displayed on the wall and workers clearly explain every step you will take and how medicine have been charged. We are told all this is because they receive trainings from LifeNet.”
– Jeffrey Gibson, Patient, Nakalanzi Health Centre, Malawi
ON AVERAGE, FACILITIES INCREASE THEIR PATIENT VOLUME BY 144% AFTER ONE YEAR OF LIFENET PARTNERSHIP, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVING THEIR FACILITY SUSTAINABILITY.
Health facility staff trained in management best practices
Increase in average monthly revenue
per facility
Facilities are tracking daily revenues and expenses, improving financial stability
Facilities are performing performance reviews for staff, improving morale and sustainability
LifeNet walks with facilities on the journey to Christian holism, integrating faith into the foundations of its curricula and encouraging health workers and staff to treat each patient with compassion and respect as someone who bears the image of God.
“At LifeNet, we believe that every person, regardless of their social status, should receive the best quality care. As a Christian, I believe that this is a practical way to ‘preach the Good News to the poor.”
– Nadège Kabagenzi, LifeNet Uganda Operations Manager
“…and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
– Luke 9:2
The Duke Global Health Institute Evidence Lab conducted a 15-month study on the effects of LifeNet’s training on the quality of maternal and neonatal healthcare in six clinics in Masaka, Uganda. Twenty-four indicators of care were measured during the study.
Increase in health provider adherence to proper hand washing, reducing infections
Increase in sterile cord clamping, improving care for newborns
Increase in partograph use (paper chart to track labor), improving care for mothers
Although the study was not statistically powered to detect differences in mortality, the data observed did document a decrease in neonatal mortality at the conclusion of LifeNet training.
Observed data noted a decrease from a 27/1000 neonatal mortality rate to a 9/1000 neonatal mortality rate post-intervention.*
*Due to low numbers of reported deaths, additional studies would be required to more accurately measure these changes.
NCDs cause 15 million premature deaths every year. LifeNet empowers community health facilities with the knowledge and tools they need to provide long-term care for patients with hypertension and type-II diabetes. We are improving health outcomes for these patients and changing lives.
NCD screenings in 2019
Reduction in blood glucose levels
Patients screened for NCDs in 2019
Reduction in Systolic Blood Pressure
Increase in NCD patient volume in 10 facilities enrolled in LifeNet’s NCD program
Reduction in Diastolic Blood Pressure
Meet Babirye Perepetwa, a patient who receives care for her hypertension from Nakasojjo Health Facility, a LifeNet partner facility that can now provide care for non-communicable diseases thanks to LifeNet training!
“I was seated at home praying when I suddenly felt dizzy. I stood up to go drink some water and that is when I collapsed on the floor. I was rushed to a hospital with a stroke. For a year, I received medication for my hypertension from the hospital. However, the distance to the hospital and the cost of the medicine was prohibitive. Around this time, a friend told me about the nearby Nakasojjo health facility that was running an NCD clinic.
The experience I received when I visited Nakasojjo was amazing. I was warmly welcomed and treated very well. I really felt at home. The cost of the medication at Nakasojjo is lower and the doctor understands my financial situation and allows to pay for my medication over time.
Now, I can walk to receive care from my local facility!”
Babirye Perepetwa is pictured here (middle of photo) with another patient and LifeNet staff member Collins Muhumuza.
Researching & prototyping solutions to the African healthcare crisis
LifeNet launches the LifeNet Model of partnership with 10 faith-based health facilities in Burundi
LifeNet expands to Uganda
LifeNet expands to the DRC and reaches 1 million patient visits per year
LifeNet expands to Malawi
LifeNet grows its network to 130 health facilities, impacting 1.5 million patient visits per year
LifeNet grows its network to 178 health facilities, and begins implementing its ambitious 10-10-10 vision
LifeNet will expand its impact both in-country and into new areas, preparing for rapid scale over the next four years
In-Kind Income | $399,422 | |
Cash Income | $2,335,894 |
Burundi* | $915,589 | |
Uganda | $812,985 | |
USA* | $435,805 | |
Malawi | $313,290 | |
DRC* | $285,152 |
*In-kind expenses account for $49,580 of DRC expenses and $349,843 of Burundi expenses.
Programs | 84% | |
Admin & Fundraising | 16% |
-2019 unaudited financials
Networks of faith-based health facilities in Africa hold large assets of human, process, and physical capital within their existing staffing, systems, and infrastructures. Lifenet’s partner facilities currently generate over $7.6 million in annual revenue on top of an asset base of $23 million.
We leverage these assets to dramatically improve quality of care at the low program cost of $1 per patient visit improved.