Pioneering African Health Group to Receive 2005 Gates Award for Global Health

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today that the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) will receive
the $1 million 2005 Gates Award for Global Health for their extraordinary efforts for nearly 50 years to improve health in
Africa's poorest communities, build local health infrastructure, and document their success to guide others. The Gates Award
recognizes extraordinary achievement in improving health in the developing world, and is the world's largest prize for
international health.


AMREF was selected from more than 85 nominees by a jury of international public health leaders. The award will be presented
today in Washington, D.C., at the Global Health Council's 32nd annual international conference. William H. Gates, Sr.,
co-chair of the Gates Foundation, will present the award to Dr. Miriam Were, chair of AMREF's board of directors. The Gates
Award is administered by the Global Health Council.


AMREF, founded in 1957 as Flying Doctors of East Africa, is the oldest and largest aid organization based in Africa and led
by Africans. AMREF was chosen to receive the 2005 Gates Award because of its innovative work for nearly 50 years to improve
health in some of Africa's poorest communities. AMREF's programs reach millions of people each year, and have been widely
recognized and documented as some of the greatest success stories in African health.


"People often ask what it will take to dramatically improve health in Africa," said Bill Gates, co-founder of the Gates
Foundation. "AMREF has been saving lives year after year for decades, and should give us all hope that even the most complex
health challenges can be overcome."


"Health is the beacon that will lead Africa out of poverty," said Dr. Were, AMREF chair and a community health specialist who
has led country-level health programs in Africa for WHO and UNICEF. "We are humbled by this award, and we accept it on behalf
of the communities we work with."


AMREF's staff of more than 600 physicians, nurses, researchers, nutritionists, public health workers, and sanitation workers
help communities build health systems to address many of the most serious health challenges facing Africa.


"Bill and I established this award to draw the world's attention to the greatest success stories in global health - the
unsung heroes whose work has opened new doors and new possibilities for improving health in developing countries," said
Melinda Gates, co-founder of the foundation. "We congratulate AMREF on its accomplishments, which are an inspiration for the
world."


Dr. Nils Daulaire, president and CEO of the Global Health Council, said: "Extraordinary challenges call for extraordinary
efforts. AMREF's work is impressive for its massive scope, and doubly impressive for its well-documented impact."


About AMREF


In its early years as Flying Doctors, AMREF airlifted surgeons to perform emergency procedures in African towns and villages
without access to hospitals, a service that continues today. Since then, AMREF has greatly expanded its scope, and today
operates programs addressing HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, clean water and sanitation, family health, training health care workers,
and emergency relief.















Since its founding, AMREF has embraced technology as integral to improving health. AMREF owns a fleet of planes specially
equipped with intensive care units, and it established Africa's first and largest two-way radio communications network.
Recently, AMREF has begun installing videoconferencing facilities in rural areas, so that doctors and patients can consult
with specialists in major cities.


One of AMREF's largest initiatives trains rural health workers who have little or no formal medical education. In addition,
more than 20 countries send their district health workers to Nairobi for AMREF's year-long Diploma in Community Health
program. The organization also publishes a series of field manuals that give practical instructions for safely and correctly
caring for serious diseases.


AMREF regularly conducts evaluation research to guide the development of its programs, and its findings influence health
policy worldwide. For example, AMREF demonstrated in Tanzania that the rate of HIV infection could be cut up to 40% by
encouraging people to seek testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. As part of its work on malaria, AMREF
collected the first data showing that insecticide-treated bed nets are a cost-effective method for protecting young children
from the disease. Recently, AMREF led East African consultations for the Commission for Africa established by U.K. Prime
Minister Tony Blair.


Twelve national offices in North America and Europe, including AMREF USA in New York, help to raise support for AMREF from
individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies.


About the Gates Award for Global Health


The Gates Award was established by Bill and Melinda Gates in 2000 to draw attention to some of the most effective and
inspiring efforts in improving global health.


Previous recipients of the Gates Award include the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (2004) for community-based health
programs; the Brazilian National AIDS Program (2003) for its integrated approach to HIV prevention and treatment; the Rotary
Foundation of Rotary International (2002) for contributions to polio eradication; and the ICDDR,B Center for Health and
Population Research in Bangladesh (2001) for the discovery of a simple rehydration therapy that has saved millions of lives.



The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to promote greater equity in four areas: global health, education, public
libraries, and support for at-risk families in Washington state and Oregon. The Seattle-based foundation joins local,
national, and international partners to ensure that advances in these areas reach those who need them most. The foundation is
led by Bill Gates's father, William H. Gates Sr., and Patty Stonesifer.


On the Internet:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, gatesfoundation

AMREF, amref

Global Health Council, globalhealth



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