Africa Regional Members
All of CoMO's member organisations (Full Members and Associate Members) and Friends within the region Africa are on this page.
Member Organisations
Association des Volontaires aux Personnes Vulnérables et aux Enfants Orphelins (AVPVEO) (South Kivu, DRC)
The AVPVEO NGO is a human rights and development organization working in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They works on awareness raising, surveillance, reporting, documentation and monitoring of abuses, human rights violations, promotion of development and combating meningitis in the Eastern region in particular and in the DRC in general. The AVPVEO NGO represents CoMO in the DRC with the objective of supporting CoMO to put in place effective measures to achieve its mission in Africa and around the world.
Bountiful Missions Uganda
Bountiful Missions Uganda works with hard to reach populations in eastern Uganda through unlocking boundaries that can better their well being. As CoMO partners, they look forward at raising awareness of meningitis and contribute to a future where no-one in the area loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives. Their founder, Waiswa Rogers, is the main contact point.
Care and Development Centre (CADEC) (Nigeria)
Care and Development Centre (CADEC), a Nigerian Non-Governmental Organisation, was set up in 2011. Their mission is to be a prominent Non-Governmental Organisation that empowers vulnerable people through their participatory approach.
CADEC focuses on programs that are geared towards wealth creation, social justice, sexualities and health education. Through education and participatory approaches, their initiatives aim to create and enhance sustainable environments, livelihood, self-esteem, economic empowerment, community development, and good governance.
In the area of health education, CADEC takes a participatory approach and works in the community to educate its members on preventive health issues. In line with this, CADEC is actively promoting the uptake of vaccines and immunization services in the Nigerian community.
For more information, call Rhoda Omoile on +23408094826044 or email CADEC. Visit their Facebook Page.
Caritas Nigeria (Nigeria)
Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (Caritas Nigeria) was established in 2010 as a development agency of the Catholic Church in Nigeria. With focus on six key thematic areas namely: Health, Agriculture, Education, Good governance, Environment/Emergency Response and Institutional Capacity-strengthening and Anti-Human Trafficking/Forced Migration. Their mission is to stimulate and drive development into every segment of the ever-complex and rapidly growing Nigerian society.
Caritas Nigeria's health portfolio is robust and covers broadly communicable and non-communicable diseases including malaria, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and meningitis. Caritas Nigeria has within the last six years implemented several community-based development interventions (across the different program areas of healthcare), impacting millions of lives and families. They are currently in partnership with 1376 faith-based health facilities and 375 schools scattered spread across very hard-to-reach and under-served communities in the country.
During the outbreak of the meningitis in Nigeria at the start of 2017 which claimed over 800 lives, Caritas Nigeria launched a very effective campaign against meningitis where over 3000 persons across the country were immunized. This was combined with massive public awareness and advocacy on meningitis targeting various predisposed communities (churches, market places, villages etc.). The machinery for this has been adopted and incorporated into the organizations programming.
For more information, please visit the Caritas website or email.
Children Advocacy Forum Sierra Leone (CAFSL) (Sierra Leone)
CAFSL is a child and youth centred organisation that works to protect the welfare of children, women and young people with regards to their survival and participation in society.
They promote:
- RMNCAH (Nutrition, Immunization and Family Planning)
- Child Protection
- Education
- Youth Empowerment
CAF-SL is a steering committee member of the following networks: Scaling up Nutrition and Immunization Civil Society Platform (SUNI-CSP) and RMNCAH +N.
For more information, contact them via email or visit their Facebook.
Concern Health Education Project (Ghana)
Concern Health Education Project is a registered NGO and works in the area of Health advocacy in Ghana. Founded by Isaac Ampomah in 2004, CHEP now works with over 500 target groups across Ghana to raise awareness of Hepatitis B, Meningitis and TB. CHEP works at a grassroots level, empowering the community through the engagement of volunteers (both national and international) in their projects. They also engage policy makers and policy enforcers in dialogue with the communities and catalyse participatory approaches on health issues, environment, human rights and good governance.
Within the Health Systems Strengthening, CHEP works to advocate against weaknesses in the district health services and is currently working on GAVI’s HSS Immunization support program in Ghana. This involves creating demand for immunization services in communities of Ghana as a means to increase community voices on the importance of immunization.
For more information, call on +233 24 304 4732, email the project, or visit the Concern Health Education Project Facebook Page.
Gambo General Rural Hospital (Ethiopia)
Gambo Hospital is located in a rural area in southern Ethiopia where infant mortality is high and where basic food needs are not covered, so there is a high rate of malnutrition and infectious diseases like meningitis, measles, pneumonia, sepsis.
Gambo General Rural Hospital provides curative and preventive health care services to the community and is committed to improve access and quality of care.
The number of patients in hospital and outpatient services is growing and the hospital's diagnostic capacity has improved accordingly over the past five years.
Gambo Hospital provides health care services to a referral population of more than 450,000 people.
They are committed to fight against meningitis in different ways: community awareness, health education, prevention, vaccination, early detection, health professionals training, antibiotics, and medical equipment.
For more information, contact them or visit the Gambo Hospital website, Facebook page or Twitter profile.
Helping Hands 4 Africa (Uganda)
Helping hands 4 Africa is a Community Based Initiative that started way back in 2011 with the plight of transforming the disadvantaged livelihoods in eastern Uganda to live a better life. They are situated in Jinja district, which lies 80kms East of Kampala city, Uganda's capital working with the rural poor communities in our country.
Uganda as a developing country is among other problems, afflicted by Civil wars, hunger, economic stagnation, extreme poverty, low literacy levels, and the AIDS pandemic that continues its deadly foray into every village. This calls for innovative actions that are designed and implemented to bring about change. Helping hands 4 Africa is actively pursuing this at the grass roots. As development partners, non-governmental organizations are proving to be more effective at grass roots where government hands cannot reach.
Helping hands 4 Africa is one of the few grass roots organizations based in the Eastern Uganda offering educational, medical and nutritional services to the rural communities as well as helping to facilitate their social, spiritual, Educational and economic wellbeing. They derive our support from the valuable services of volunteers, friends, sympathizers, well-wishers, Christian and non-Christian resources as well as our dear partners in-country and abroad who offer financial, moral, educational and material support to facilitate our activities.
Kamala Community Health Development Initiatives (Nigeria)
Kamala Community Health Development Initiative have supported meningitis case studies, facilitated transportation of infected individuals for treatment, advocated for government to vaccinate contacts and help to raise meningitis prevention awareness.
For more information, email them.
Light Up Hope Uganda (Jinja, Uganda)
Light Up Hope Uganda was initiated with the commitment and plight of transforming the most vulnerable livelihoods and communities to live a better life through mitigating the root causes of their vulnerabilities culturally, spiritually, economically and socially. They are a humanitarian voluntary based initiative currently without any reliable source of funding or donor agency other than support from their own pockets, friends, sympathisers, local and international volunteers in terms of skills, advocacy, fundraising, etc when implementing their activities.
For more information, visit their Facebook page.
Medicure & Trauma Centre (Mbale District, Uganda)
Medicure & Trauma Med. Centre with pharmacy and laboratories is a legally registered health facility operating in Uganda since 2012. It is registered under the Ministry Of Health in Uganda and all services provided at the facility are supervised by Uganda Allied Health professional Council (UAHPC), a regulatory body for health services for both private and Government Health workers. Their major aim is to overcome meningitis (and septicaemia) though prevention, early detection, early treatment, and management of meningitis complications, along with participating in research regarding those topics. They actively demonstrate their ability to provide advanced trauma life support (ATLS) prior to transfer of patients to a higher level trauma center. It provides evaluation, stabilization, and diagnostic capabilities for injured patients including:
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Basic emergency department facilities to implement ATLS protocols and 24-hour laboratory coverage. With Available trauma nurse(s) and physicians available upon patient arrival.
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Provide surgery and critical-care services (Orthopedic).
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They have developed transfer agreements for patients requiring more comprehensive care at a Level I or Level II Trauma Center.
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They have Incorporated a comprehensive quality assessment programme.
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They are Involved with prevention efforts and have an active outreach programme for their referring communities
Other services include general medical, paediatrics, laboratory & dental services
Contact via phone: +256752044760 or via email: nambaalebrian2@gmail.com
Meningitis Association of South Africa (Cape Town, South Africa)
The Meningitis Association of South Africa was established to raise awareness of meningitis and other infections of the central nervous system throughout South Africa.
The association uses education systems and research to provide support and education to patients and families, increase awareness of meningitis, promote more information to healthcare professionals, and to raise funds to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of meningitis. Visit the Meningitis Association of South Africa's Facebook page for more information about this member organisation.
Meningitis Information Foundation (Kenya)
Our vision is to see Kenya free from meningitis and septicaemia.
Meningitis Information, Care and Research Foundation (MIF) is a non-profit establishment registered in Kenya in 2018. We are the first meningitis foundation in Kenya dedicated to fighting meningitis in East Africa. MICRF aims to raise awareness and sensitize society about the signs and symptoms of meningitis and offer support services to those affected. In future, our trained field staff will assess where the charity will be most beneficial in providing support.
For more information, email MICRF.
Meningitis Research Group at the Swiss Center for Scientific Research (CSRS) (Ivory Coast)
The Molecular Epidemiology for Meningitis Vaccination Policy (MEVacP) is a collaborative project between researchers from the University of Oxford and the CSRS in the Ivory Coast. They're focused on finding ways to improve vaccine development and surveillance. In particular, the project aims to provide hands-on training for researchers, clinicians and/or physicians from low- and middle-income countries. For more information, look at their website.
Mustard Vision For Sustainable Development (MUVSUD) (Cameroon)
Mustard Vision For Sustainable Development is a non-political and non-profit organisation working towards the development of Cameroon society in key areas including agriculture, education, health, gender and environment, to name a few. They are focused and determined to do the maximum amount possible within their capacity and resources to raise local and international awareness by adopting strategies to deal with the aforementioned areas, of which meningitis is included. With meningitis being one of MUVSUD's focus areas, they are striving to achieve their vision of a future where no one in Cameroon loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives. For more information, email Elangwe Samuel or call +237677876040.
Muslim Aid Initiative (Nigeria)
Muslim Aid Initiative Nigeria (MAIN) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with Certificate of Registration no CAC/IT/NO 22158. MAIN is governed by a Board of Trustees (BOT), Governing Council (GC) and Management team which lead direction on strategic focus, policies and oversees general organizational performance. The Secretariat is headed by Executive Director and supported by the management team.
Our mission: to improve quality of life among the community through innovative, integrated social services
Our vision: a society free of diseases and poverty.
For more information, visit their: Facebook.
Parents of Disabled Children Association of Malawi (PODCAM) (Malawi)
PODCAM is a non-profit organisation that has over 16,200 members across Malawi. PODCAM seeks to assist children with disabilities, irrespective of age, to maximise their potential as individuals and determine every aspect of their lives. This is achieved through empowering the parents of children with disabilities, conducting civic education, and mitigating the impact of abuse among children with disabilities.
The goal of the organisation is to create a society that will promote the rights, survival, protection, and development of the children with various disabilities. PODCAM is also educating the Malawian community on the causes, symptoms and treatments associated with meningitis.
For more information, visit their Facebook page.
Step Up Charity (Uganda)
Step Up Charity empowers communities to live better and have sustainable livelihoods through meeting their health needs. You can get in touch with Mwebe Fred, the Director of the charity, at: stepupcharityuganda@gmail.com.
United Youths
United Youths is an NGO created by a group of young people who aim to promote civic harmony and to spread values of peace and respect for humanity. United Youths promote education schemes, volunteering and environmental conservation projects. United Youths use training programmes which aim to improve literacy in society and inform members of the community about how institutions such as local health care services and grassroots organisations can improve life for everybody. Being a member of CoMO will allow United Youths to inform people living in Guinea of the dangers of meningitis. For more information, call +224622378770 or email United Youths.
Ummah Support Initiative (USI) (Nigeria)
Ummah Support Initiative (USI) is a faith-based Organization established since July 2006 and registered with government of Nigeria, through the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Our vision is to provide access to health and education to under privileged population and with a Mission to work towards a health and developed communities in Nigeria. Our strategies is to work with government, donors and international organizations, religious and traditional leaders to halt disease and illiteracy in our communities advocacy, sensitization, mobilization and implementation of projects that's are impactful. We work with our communities to bring desired change, USI values are transparency and accountability.
Village Concern Uganda (Uganda)
Village Concern Uganda fights this abject poverty and helps prevent violence through community-based development in Eastern Uganda. We believe that solutions to poverty are best realized when those affected by it drive change. Outsiders can help by mobilizing people, advising, networking, and providing resources. Ultimately, however, the community has the knowledge and the motivation necessary to solve problems.
Through sports programs, young women's empowerment, and community development. Village Concern Uganda promotes youth leadership and ethnic and gender cooperation. We also work to improve basic healthcare, sanitation, and education. VCU saves lives, prevents ethnic and religious violence, and creates opportunities in a place that outsiders often cast away as hopeless.
Serving as a model for holistic, community-based urban development in eastern Uganda, VCU has helped grassroots initiatives develop youth-based programs in six other nations and dozens of communities in eastern Uganda. We envision a community where the poor have a voice in their futures and opportunities for healthy growth.
For more information, visit their website here.
Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (Nigeria)
Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (WAVA), is a coalition of women-focused Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria advocating for increased health access, improved routine immunization uptake and sustainable primary healthcare financing in Nigeria. WAVA is a registered entity with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria. As at April 2017, there were 47 member organizations in 19 states, spread across all 6 geopolitical zones in the country. Together, WAVA members and WAVA Champions envision a world where individuals, irrespective of their gender, creed, value or physical attributes have unhindered access to vaccination to improve their well-being and advance the collective good.
With a rich network of collaborators and a national profile, WAVA’s strategic approach is three pronged: first we mobilize additional voices as vaccine advocates; second, we to train, network and coordinate Champions and organisations to be effective advocates; third we provide advocates with, or link them to resources they need to be successful - such as, evidence, technical support and small grants.
Following the recent outbreak of Meningitis C in Nigeria, which has claimed over 1000 lives as at May 12, 2017, WAVA stepped into the forefront of information dissemination. We released a press statement calling for funding and increased uptake of the Meningitis C vaccine. Acknowledged by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), the press statement also commended the quick response and synergy among the various government agencies and partners in managing the cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) outbreak.
WAVA remains committed to building and strengthening partnerships across Nigeria, Africa and beyond, to promote evidence-based interventions that reduce vaccine preventable diseases like meningitis
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For more information on WAVA, visit their website or send an email.
Friends of CoMO
Friends of CoMO
Dr Obinna Ebirim - Abuja, Nigeria

My name is Dr. Obinna Ebirim and I am a public health physician and vaccine champion from Nigeria. I'm involved in immunization advocacy and wish to contribute to raising awareness of meningitis. This is especially important given the recent outbreak of Meningitis in Nigeria and my country being in the meningitis belt.
I have over five years’ experience in public health, clinical health, political technical assistance, advocacy, youth development and leadership. I am a Senior Associate at DCL Nigeria, Senior Technical Advisor for Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (WAVA), Co-founder of Impact Driven Young Leaders (IDYL) Initiative, Content Developer of Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Abuja, a Fellow of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Being a Friend of CoMO provides me with the platform, network and technical resources that will aid my meningitis advocacy activities including awareness creation. See my Facebook and Twitter pages.
Jean Jacques Iradukunda - Rwanda

I co-Founded Igire Rwanda Organization, a youth empowerment organization that seeks to provide young people with the skills they need to access job opportunities or create their own small businesses.
I have also worked with a team to fund Kepler Global Health Club which raises Health awareness around the community, and I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management.
I am currently working as a Quantitative Classes course facilitator at Kepler Kiziba. I like social entrepreneurship and reading books about business, health and African Politics.
Charity Githuka - Kenya

I am a 30 year old survivor and through my experience would highly like to be in the fight against this giant. The mark on my head is as a result of medicines used to treat meningitis when I was barely 2 years old. I have gone through hell but am glad I can join this team to create awareness of this disease.
Nelvise Kpulam Tata- Kumba, Cameroon

My name is Nelvise Kpulam Tata. I became a Friend of CoMO to raise awareness of meningitis and contribute to a future where no-one in Cameroon loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives. Please feel free to email me with any questions: tatanelvise@gmail.com.
Dr Jeannière Manegabe - Bukavu, DRC

Dr Jeannière Manegabe is a young health professional from the Democratic Republic of Congo who received her doctorate degree in Medicine at the Evangelical University in Africa in 2015. In 2018, she was a Mandela Washington fellow at Indiana University, USA. She is passionate about children’s health because she believes that the future of the world lies with children. Since 2018, she has been completing her residency at the Evangelical University in Africa and works as an attending physician and researcher in the Department of Pediatrics at Panzi Hospital.
Amatus Nemeye Mpabanzi - DRC
Meningitis is the inflammation of the meninges with potential for cerebral infirmity, sudden death, epilepsy, deafness and hydrocephalus. The Congolese people, especially North Kivu, need help for the prevention of this illness in pre-schooling age with the vaccine against meningitis. Dietary, medical and, if possible, clothing care for people living with the sequelae quoted above is needed. To achieve the objective, I hope CoMO can collaborate with the Congolese government to enable us to work well.
Sadiki Gisèle - Democratic Republic of Congo

I have become a CoMO member because I would like to know more about meningitis and to explain to my community about meningitis.
John Jussah - Malawi
I would like to be an advocate for meningitis in my country because here people do not know much about this disease and yet it's killing a lot of people. I am lucky I survived but I lost my sister and a cousin due to meningitis, I would like to bring awareness to the people in my country.
Ogbodo Bliss Osiakefan - Nigeria
I am a graduate of Microbiology, seeking to become a research scientist, self motivated individual. I am from Nigeria one of the countries greatly affected by meningitis. I love children and music.
Dr Celine Ude Osi - Nigeria
I am a medical Doctor with specialization in public health/ Community medicine. I am passionate about educating the masses on preventive medicine to avoid both occurrence of risk factors of both communicable and non communicable diseases and what should be done to ensure early diagnosis and prompt treatment when the disease has occurred.
Seydou Dia - Mali

FR: La méningite étant une maladie évitable par la vaccination continue malheureusement à être une cause majeure de mortalité et morbidité en Afrique sub saharienne particulièrement chez les enfants. Entant que de professionnelle de santé et humanitaire d’origine de l’Afrique sub saharienne je m’engage a contribué à cette maladie dans le monde.
EN: Meningitis is an illness that is preventable via vaccination and yet it continues to cause major mortality and morbidity in Sub Saharan Africa, particularly children. As a health professional and humanitarian from sub-Saharan Africa, I am committed to contributing to fight this disease in the world.
Dr Laurent Mparara - Democratic Republic of Congo

Meningitis is a serious infectious disease, let's fight against it with all our might.
Dr Spensa'r Fulgence - Tanzania

I am a medical doctor, academic researcher and advocate for public health. I am passionate about ending preventable causes of death including from meningitis.
Obol Jimmy - Uganda

I am a decisive and results-driven professional with 7 years of experience in humanitarian emergency, health system strengthening and management rendering services in the areas of health project design, MHPSS, management and implementation, vaccine demand generation, community engagement, risk communication, BCC, WASH, coordination, monitoring, Evaluation with a focus on data demand to improve quality of services, and research on community health programmes.
Samson Mtinangi - Tanzania

I would like to be a member of CoMo so as to be a part of the health professionals who are dedicated to saving the community in the fight against meningitis through education and other preventive methods. I am here to educate the community on how to combat meningitis.
Charlotte Angwena - Uganda

I am a registered nurse with vast experience in Accident & Emergency (A&E) Skills and currently In ICU department (NICU & ADULT ICU) since 2019 uptodate at International Hospital Kampala. I am passionate about children’s health because I believe that the future of the world lies with children.
Frank Baakisuula - Uganda
I do offer myself to render a service to help those who are affected by meningitis, help in raising awareness about meningitis and educating the communities about meningitis
Dr Agbo Urudinachi - Nigeria

Agbo Urudinachi is a public health physician, statistician and management specialist with over nine years’ experience – both in employment and consultancy practice. A Fellow of the West Africa College of Physician. Agbo Urudinachi Nnenne‘s areas of specialty are research, biostatistics, planning, management, capacity building, policy making and implementation, health promotion and education activities.
Dr Zabeirou Ibrahim Maman Nassirou - Niger

A clinical doctor by training, the management of meningitis is my daily life. I implement this among small children, under 5 years old, since I work in a pediatric department.
In view of the possible neurological, muscular and cognitive sequelae that meningitis causes to the very young and also to the situation in Niger (in the middle of the Peyssonia meningitis belt), I have a duty to be in a hyper-specialized network on meningitis issue.
In addition, I have experience of the disease in my country, because my doctoral thesis focused on this subject.