For decades, Africa has seen the life expectancy of its populations stunted by communicable and parasitical diseases that have mostly been stamped out in the developed world. Recently the region faces increasing rates of the non-communicable lifestyle diseases that have become the biggest killers in industrialised countries.
The healthcare challenges are heightened by the sheer diversity of the continent. Countries range from the resource-rich to the impoverished, from those with dynamic economies to those where conflict zones still simmer; they encompass large cities, remote villages and nomadic lands. Nonetheless, there is still a large percentage of people who have limited access to sufficent and quality healthcare.
Operating in 11 countries, St John is working tirelessly to bring healthcare closer to those that needs it the most from saving the lives of mothers and their babies in countries with some of the highest child and maternal mortality rates, to providing eye care to almost 25,000 people who might otherwise go blind.
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