Dear Africans in the Diaspora and friends,
Once again, we have come to the end of another year with all of its festivities and are ready to welcome a new year of hope and prosperity. At the same time, it is my honor to wish all members and families of the African Diaspora Healthcare Initiative (AfDHI) a wonderful Christmas/holiday season. I hope that every one of us will try to find a reason to celebrate happiness for surviving the year. My heart goes out to members who had difficult times or lost anybody due to COVID-19 or other health conditions.
The month of April 2021, marked our one year anniversary as we came into the public domain in April 2020. Since then, we continued to make remarkable progress as new members continued to join our family. Every new member who joined AfDHI brings the relevant skills and expertise needed to support health systems in Africa. I encourage African diaspora health professionals to join our team and help us to work toward achieving the African 2063 agenda.
In 2021, we worked to strategize on how to initiate our partnership with health professionals and regional government on the African continent. We intend to make our first visit to an African country in 2022; as a result we encourage you to register to participate in this historical trip to Africa. This trip is very significant because the responsibility to develop the African health system is the responsibility of African health professional on the continent and in the diaspora. I urge you to join our team to participate in transforming health delivery in Africa in order to reduce health disparities, promote health equity, and ensure justice in health access.
As we enter into the year 2022, I appeal to all African health professionals and investors in the diaspora to contribute to Africa’s independence from external health influences. Without your intervention, African will still be colonized through its dependence on external aid for issues of healthcare delivery or policy development. Join us to be part of the transformation you want to see in health care delivery in Africa. I look forward to your greater participation!
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year to all!
Raymond. O Chimezie, PhD, CHES®, FRSPH
U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Sub-Saharan Africa &
President, African Diaspora Healthcare Initiative