Objective: To improve health in Africa by providing access to Auto-Disable (AD) Syringes – at the same time creating jobs, and transferring technology and skills to Africa.

Commitment: To work with the Pan African Health Foundation (PAHF) to fund the construction of an Auto-Disable (AD) Syringe factory in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Background: PAHF is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to funding sustainable projects to help relieve the medical supply shortage in Africa. An added benefit of PAHF’s approach, which focuses on infrastructure development, is that PAHF’s projects also serve as economic catalysts for the community and region. The AD Syringe Factory project will not only improve access to this life-saving medical supply, but also create jobs, take advantage of existing resources, and transfer technology and skills to Africa.

Syringe re-use is exacerbating the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases in Africa. Auto-disable syringes address this problem head-on, as they de-activate after a single use. Although recommended by the WHO, AD syringes are not widely used, due largely to issues of cost and availability. PAHF’s AD Syringe Factory will produce over 100 million AD syringes per year on a not-for-profit basis.

In the short-term, this project will prevent many HIV and Hepatitis infections by making AD syringes more widely available. But this project’s true benefits are in its long-term potential for positive change. PAHF’s AD Syringe Factory will ensure sustainability by selling its products at a price just sufficient to cover operational costs. This means AD syringes will be available not just this year, but every year for years to come.

The AD Syringe Factory will also serve as an economic stimulus for the community and region. Not only will the project create over 200 direct jobs for local workers, it will also provide numerous other economic benefits by using local suppliers for construction and raw materials. These economic benefits are critically important as they will help to alleviate unemployment and poverty while empowering the community to overcome their own challenges.

Partnership Opportunity: The Pan African Health Foundation now needs the final $2 million to reach its $18 million funding goal to establish an Auto-Disable Syringe factory in Port Harcourt, Nigeria – a project that will prevent millions of infections (including HIV) each year by providing “safe syringes” for even the poorest clinics. The final $2 million is needed by September 2006.

Update:
February 2006:
Construction of the Pan African Health Foundation’s Auto-Disable Syringe factory in Port Harcourt, Nigeria will have commenced, and fundraising activities are on track toward fulfilling the $18 million goal established for the project.

June 2006:
Construction of the Port Harcourt factory will be completed early this fall, to be followed by a six-month recruitment, training and “trial commissioning” phase. Thus, the factory should be up and running in early 2007. PAHF already has $16 million in gifts and pledges; the project can be completed only if interested donors provide the final $2 million by September 2006.