The East Central and Southern Africa College of Family Physicians has recently been established to support and develop training and accreditation of family physicians in the region. This initiative is crucial for enhancing primary health care (PHC) and reducing health inequities, ultimately building resilient communities.

Currently, the College is focused on leveraging existing postgraduate family medicine programmes at universities that require trainers and assessors, as well as implementing the College Fellowship programme across the ECSA region. However, we face significant challenges: most country training programmes offer only 4-5 positions for trainees each year, which is insufficient to build a critical mass of family physicians. Additionally, many trainees are self-funded due to a lack of sponsorships, and there is a shortage of skilled faculty to guide them.

Family physicians play a vital role in our healthcare system; they are not only doctors with postgraduate specialist qualifications but also leaders who supervise clinical care in PHC facilities. They educate health professionals and manage complex cases that require comprehensive care. Their work primarily takes place in district hospitals and primary care centres, especially in less advantaged areas where access to healthcare is limited.

To address these challenges effectively, we urgently need your support. Your contributions will help us launch essential initiatives such as running clinical trainer courses, hosting workshops for family medicine educators, organizing site visits for assessments, building online training platforms for continuous professional development, supporting research on health outcomes, and providing sponsorships for promising yet under-resourced trainees.

We aim to raise £1,500 GBP for ECSA-CFP to kickstart these vital programs that will empower family physicians from 11 countries: Angola, Botswana, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Together we can make a difference! Even small donations can significantly impact our capacity-building efforts for improved health outcomes through primary healthcare and family medicine.

Donations on this page for the ECSA-College of Family Physicians will come to us through ZHTS. Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Donating through JustGiving is simple and secure; your details are safe with them as they prioritize your privacy.

For more information on ECSA-CFP see https://primafamed.sun.ac.za/research-2/