THE CONCEPT
THE LIFENET WAY
IS AMBITIOUS AND BRAVE
LifeNet’s mission is to transform African health facilities to provide quality, sustainable healthcare and save lives.
The idea for LifeNet was born when US business entrepreneur, Michael Spraggins, considered sub-Saharan Africa’s staggering mortality figures and saw in them an underserved market. Michael recruited an investment analyst and a registered nurse to join him in developing a new kind of solution to healthcare delivery challenges. Together, with local healthcare providers, they prototyped and iterated for 3 years until the LifeNet model was developed. The foundation of this model is the belief that the answer to sub-Saharan Africa’s healthcare crises lies in the hands of local, skilled healthcare providers.
THE LIFENET WAY IS ROOTED IN THE COMMUNITY
Many last-mile, hard-to-reach communities have no healthcare access at all apart from local, faith-based facilities. In fact, 40% of all healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa are provided through faith-based healthcare facilities. The faith-based market sector represents an innovative and powerful lever for change in health outcomes, particularly in underserved communities in the region, often holding a place of trust and respect in the communities they serve.
Faith-based healthcare facilities face the very same challenges that public and other private healthcare providers face: insufficient medical training for clinicians, stockouts of essential medicines, poor budgeting and financial bookkeeping, insufficient inventory management, and limited marketing capabilities. These gaps in clinical and management knowledge and skills lead to poor health outcomes for African communities.
The healthcare needs in sub-Saharan Africa are great. Equally great are the talents and resources present in these communities. The LifeNet program is focused on equipping and empowering these existing healthcare providers and institutions in the healthcare sector in Africa. LifeNet International’s intervention design takes an asset-based approach to development. Rather than build new clinics and bring in external healthcare providers, LifeNet builds and strengthens the capacity of local healthcare facilities, people, and resources, effectively empowering facilities to care for their communities with respect, confidence, and evidence-based knowledge. In humanitarian response, we follow the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence so that communities in need have access to quality healthcare.
LifeNet partner healthcare facilities receive a suite of high-impact interventions including: clinical training, management training, equipment supply, on-site mentoring, digital learning tools, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) processes. This package of interventions has proven effective in dramatically improving the quality and sustainability of healthcare through measurable changes in health worker knowledge and clinical and financial practice. These changes lead to improved outcomes among patients—saving and improving lives.
“Medical staff neglected to wash hands between patients or clean thermometers between uses. Maternity nurses did not know infant CPR. Nurses administered dangerous and even lethal doses of medication – all for lack of basic training.”
We have expanded our partner network to 410+ faith-based health centers and hospitals in Uganda, Burundi, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Ghana.
Improved healthcare quality saves lives. Every year, our partners save thousands of lives by implementing the evidence-based, cost-effective interventions they learn from LifeNet.
WE ARE TRANSFORMING AFRICAN HEALTH FACILITIES TO PROVIDE QUALITY, SUSTAINABLE HEALTHCARE, BUT WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.
CONNECT WITH US
IN THE US
LifeNet International
PO Box 21457
2300 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
+1 202 780 7435
IN BURUNDI
LifeNet International
26 Avenue Ngendandumwe
Bujumbura, Burundi
IN UGANDA
Lifenet International Uganda
Princes Anne Drive, Plot 56 Bugolobi Kampala Uganda
IN DRC
No. 007 Av. Nyofu I, Q. Nyalukemba
C. Ibanda, Bukavu
Democratic Republic of the Congo
IN MALAWI
LifeNet International
Off Presidential Highway,
Plot Number 116, Area 14
Lilongwe, Malawi
IN KENYA
Lifenet International Kenya
Juimia Place
Lenana Road, Nairobi Kenya
IN GHANA
LifeNet International
30 Spiess Loop, McCarthy Hill
Accra, Ghana
EMAIL US: contact@lninternational.org
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP:
Subscribe for updates and latest developments.
INSTAGRAM FEED, CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
SOCIAL INNOVATION IN HEALTH INITIATIVE
We were chosen as one of 25 high impact healthcare delivery solutions for the
2015 Social Innovation in Health Initiative, in partnership with the World Health Organization.