Sub-Saharan Africa experiences 24% of the world’s disease burden, yet has only 3% of the global health workforce. This shortage of doctors, nurses, and midwives is worsened by a glaring lack of support for their life-saving work. For example, Malawi has a total of just 30 Obstetrics & Gynecology specialists in the public sector serving 4.2 million women of childbearing age. Nearly 50% of the population of Malawi is under the age of 16, and there are currently 30 pediatricians serving the entire country. Just 7% of global health aid over the past ten years has been invested in one of the health system’s most precious assets — health workforce

The program addresses shortage of qualified health workforce in Sub-Saharan Africa by achieving improved quality of education in academic and clinical learning environment and by enhancing professional development opportunities for faculty and clinical staff, exclusively supporting the following:
• Family Medicine (Lusaka, Zambia): University of Zambia & Chilenje District Hospital
Built Zambia’s first Family Medicine program, and has seen the class size grow from 2 to 21 students in just 3 years. These students represent the first generation of family medicine graduates ever in Zambia, and will be among the
first family medicine professionals nationwide.
• Obstetrics & Gynecology (Blantyre, Malawi): Kamuzu University of Health Sciences & Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital
Working with the only public university in Malawi that is training the next generation of OB/GYN specialists to deliver responsive, respectful, and dignified care to women and newborns.
• Pediatric & Child Health (Lilongwe, Malawi): Kamuzu University of Health Sciences & Kamuzu Central Hospital
Together with Seed’s partner, the only medical school training pediatricians, launched a second program in Lilongwe – in the central region – in September 2022, where Seed supported departmental curriculum and capacity building.
• Pediatric Critical Care Nursing (Blantyre, Malawi): Kamuzu College of Health Sciences & Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital
With the goal of establishing Malawi’s first nursing specialization to care for critically ill children, working to build curriculum and teaching capacity for this program.
• Emergency Care & Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (Busitema, Uganda) Busitema University & Mbale Regional Referral Hospital
Strengthening academic programs through the addition of emergency care and maternal, neonatal and child health into degree programs, curricula, and teaching.