CFHI South Africa Program Projects

Child Family Health International (CFHI) is the leading nongovernmental organization (NGO) placing health science students on global health education programs in ways that are socially responsible and financially just. We model best global health education practices which demonstrate a priority commitment to community engagement and local integrity.  

Donate to CFHI South Africa Program Projects and make a direct and tangible impact on healthcare in South Africa.  Donations for CFHI South Africa Program projects go directly our CFHI partner sites and benefit local hospitals and practitioners as well as community health initiatives.  CFHI continually supports local healthcare systems and economies through its global health education programs, micro grants, and medical supply recovery.  The following is a sample of some of the sites and projects your donation will help to sustain.

Community Health Initiatives:  CFHI has a number of targeted, effective community health projects that benefit our host communities. These include the Children Living in Jails project, Healthcare for Remote Jungle Communities, and Cervical Cancer Prevention in Oaxaca, to name a few.  These projects cost between $2,5000 and $4,000 to run and support community-driven projects devised by the doctors and other community leaders themselves.  For more details on project descriptions and updates see CFHI’s Community Health Projects page.  

Professional Development Opportunities: CFHI supports our global partners in pursuing professional development opportunities. Whether it is a request for funding to attend an international conference or training in specific surgical procedures, CFHI assists whenever possible. CFHI has also provided collaborative programs for global partners focusing on management, skill building, and leadership strategies useful in administering CFHI global health education programs.  For more details visit CFHI’s Professional Development page.  

The following is a list of some of the hospitals and clinics representing just a portion of the many this project aims to support:

GF Jooste Hospital GF Jooste Hospital is located in Mannenberg, a working-class suburb of Cape Town. It serves at least 1.3 million people living in the Cape Flats area. GF Jooste has provided quality healthcare to residents since 1976, and is the only public hospital in the area. This hospital is in many ways a microcosm of the healthcare challenges in South Africa today, serving a diverse patient population with a complex combination of chronic and infectious diseases. It has excelled against all odds and remains a public hospital of choice to many thousands of people.

Eerste River Hospital Eerste River Hospital is located in the Eastern Sub-district of Cape Town in the Cape Flats area. Cape Town's Cape Flats communities were created when many non-white citizens were forcibly removed from the city center during the Apartheid era. 80% of patients rely solely on the State health insurance.  The area is also served by a number of community clinics including Delft, Mfuleni, Kleinvlei, Russels Rest and Reed Street Clinics, which have emergency, general medical, surgical and pediatric departments as well as specialist ophthalmology and ARV departments.

Sinikithemba AIDS care and treatment clinic at McCord's Hospital:
Sinikithemba (which means "give us hope") is an AIDS care center located at McCord's Hospital in Durban, South Africa. The center serves patients with CD4 count of less than 200. They have an extremely comprehensive approach to treatment, pre-testing counseling, post-testing counseling, anti-retroviral treatment, and care taking. Some patients sing in a choir and they also have a bead shop in order to assist with fundraising. Nine physicians work at this facility.

Kwa-Mashu Polyclinic
This clinic is a public facility in Durban. It is located in the township of Kwa-Mashu, outside Durban. The clinic caters mostly to the township inhabitants. Rhia polyclinic provides outpatient treatment in general health care. A large portion of the patients are HIV positive. This clinic is extremely busy, taking care of 200 to 300 patients daily. The lack of personnel and basic resources makes it difficult for patients to receive one on one care, which is only provided to patients in serious condition. The facility also houses a family planning center as well as a delivery center, where at least 100 babies are delivered monthly.

Students of CFHI’s global health education electives rotate through many of the above mentioned clinics to gain a deeper understanding of the context of illness and healing in foreign settings.  CFHI South Africa Global Health Education Programs Include:
Healthcare Challenges in South Africa, Cape Town
HIV/AIDS & Healthcare in Durban, South Africa