CNFA is a Canadian volunteer nurse-led charity established in 2007. We provide short-term interventions as well as year-round preventive care, treatment, and healthcare education to people in rural communities in Africa who have difficulty accessing healthcare.
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Gail Wolters met Aggrey Mulamba who is from the Vihiga region of Kenya, and hearing of the lack of affordable health care was moved to help those communities. In 2007, the
first groups of 8 nurses held 8 clinics, working alongside Kenyan colleagues. CNFA continues to be a nurse-led volunteer organization, with clinical and educational
sessions that run at least annually and year-round programs that we sponsor.
Since May 2009, CNFA has treated more than 100,000 individuals.
All members of Canadian Nurses for Africa are dedicated volunteers.
Funds raised are used to support our medical clinics and public health programs.
Led by our Kenyan colleagues, treating an average of 4,000 people annually. The program includes treatment, education in schools, home visits, trainer education and support.
Maternal and Newborn Health education for grassroots community health providers (CHPs) in remote villages related to maternal and newborn health.
CNFA covers the cost of university tuition and housing for an eligible nursing student for the duration of their program.
As part of this pilot initiative, CNFA will sponsor motorcycle ambulances to be used to transport pregnant women in remote villages who require urgent care to the nearest health facility.
CNFA provides hands-on mobile medical clinics annually, working with Kenyan health care partners. We treat an average of 6,000 patients during our two-week clinics, providing wound care, medications, malaria and diabetes testing and treatment, jiggers treatment and educations, as well as referral and transportation to hospitals for patients requiring more advanced care (including payment for hospital care).
While in Kenya, nurses also provide other programs including providing deworming medication to school-age children, sexual health teaching, and distribution of reading glasses, mosquito nets, and reusable sanitary pads for teen girls.
Jiggers Eradiction
Jiggers’ Eradication, led by our Kenyan colleagues, treating an average of 4,000 people annually. The program includes treatment, education in schools, home visits, trainer education and support.
Maternal and Newborn Health
Maternal and Newborn Health education for grassroots community health providers (CHPs) in remote villages related to maternal and newborn health.
Support for Kenyan Nursing Students
Support for Kenyan nursing students through funding for cost of tuition and housing while at university.
Pilot Initiatives
Motorbike ambulances to transport mothers and babies in remote villages who require urgent care to the nearest health facility.
Meet the team behind our organization and initiatives.
Infectious Disease
Wound Care
Travel Medicine
Branding
Design Consultant
Trained as a primary care and acute care nurse practitioner (NP), Patti has worked in a wide range of nursing roles throughout her career, mostly in acute care and ambulatory care cardiology settings. She also
has experience in emergency and primary care clinic settings. Patti completed her PhD in Nursing (University of Toronto), and a post-doctoral fellowship with the Canada Research Chair for Health Interventions.
Patti has been the President of Canadian Nurses for Africa (CNFA) since 2021. Patti is also passionate about horses, currently training to become a competitive dressage rider.
Lisa initially worked in acute care pediatrics and obstetrics, working in both pediatric ICU and as a labour and birth nurse. For the last 25 years she has worked in education as both a hospital educator and in post-secondary education. Her passion as an educator is maternal-child nursing and she has used this experience to develop the maternal-infant program for Community Health Promoters in Kenya. She has used her expertise in maternal-child to edit Canadian nursing textbooks. Lisa completed her MN (University of Toronto) in 2004. She has been involved with
Canadian Nurses for Africa since 2023, heading the Maternal-Infant Program. In her spare time, Lisa plays flute with a community band and enjoys her grandchildren.
Mary’s nursing career was spent primarily in critical care, cardiology and electrophysiology. She has an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner diploma (UofT), and an MSc in molecular biology (UofT). She managed clinical
research in Canada and abroad for two medical device companies and joined the Board of Directors of Canadian Nurses for Africa in 2022. She has been actively involved with the organization since and attended her first CNFA Medical trip to Vihiga, Kenya in May 2024. She loves spending time in the great outdoors and considers herself a bit of a ‘bushwacker”.
For thirty-five years Margaret helped Canadian companies to plan and do business successfully in international and domestic markets. Twenty of those years were spent in various capacities with the Ontario Government, mainly in hands-on international
business development, identifying and developing specific opportunities for companies and other organizations. Fifteen years were spent with her own international business and management consulting company, focused on strategic business planning and
development, both trade and investment related.
Her current passion is volunteering in international development initiatives with NGOs and charities.
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