Harnessing Innovation to Improve Healthcare for Vulnerable African Communities

This year, ImpactWell expanded to Malawi, where health statistics are staggering: 0.5 doctors per 100,000 people (compared to 297 per 100,000 in the United States); one of the world’s highest maternal and infant mortality rates; and an alarming instance of TB, malaria, and other ailments.

Israeli medical technology companies have extremely innovative diagnostic solutions that help doctors hundreds of miles away see images that save people’s lives,” said Jay Ruderman, JDC Emeritus Board Member and RFF’s president.

ImpactWell is now working alongside commercial partners and Malawi’s Ministry of Health to introduce technologies piloted successfully in Ghana and bring Israeli medical missions to build local capacity in point-of-care ultrasound for maternal healthcare, neonatal resuscitation care, trauma care, eye surgery, and other areas. In addition, this program will bolster maternal health by deploying mobile clinics and a Nurses on Bikes model to provide prenatal and postnatal care in remote areas.

“What we’ve done in Ghana has taught us so much — and for me, it’s magic,” said Avital Sandler- Loeff, executive director of JDC’s disaster response and international development efforts. “In Malawi and elsewhere, we can save lives by training professionals and using technology to help people who would otherwise suffer.”

This work lies at the heart of JDC’s commitment to fostering meaningful connections amoung Jewish communities, Israel, and developing countries.

Our guiding ethos is reflected in JDC’s initiatives in Ethiopia and Chad, where, from 2022 to 2025, JDC partnered with Schusterman Family Philanthropies to provide state-of-the-art medical equipment, capacity-building activities, and seminars led by Israeli medical experts.

Core to these efforts is the Ethiopia Prosthetics and Orthotics Lab (EPOS), established by JDC in partnership with the country’s Ministry of Health to bring modern rehabilitation care to thousands of injured people and those with disabilities. Just this year, JDC provided EPOS with more than 150 different kinds of machinery, raw materials, and physiotherapy equipment from leading European orthotics suppliers.

Now, for the first time, Ethiopia can manufacture prosthetics and orthotics devices domestically, with the EPOS lab able to produce more than 20 per day.

JDC is also pioneering sustainability in African medical care through the National Spine Surgery Center in Addis Ababa — a trailblazing first-of-its-kind medical facility.

“The establishment of a dedicated national spine center is transformative,” said Dr. Abraham Tadele, a neurosurgeon who works with JDC’s Spine Program. “Beyond treating patients with spinal deformities, the center will serve as a training hub for medical professionals across the country — broadening the reach of this life-saving service.”

In Gondar, Ethiopia, JDC also leads Tena, a program named after the Amharic word for “health” that aims to improve healthcare outcomes for more than 10,000 members of the community awaiting aliyah.

Tena — a partnership with the Mandel Foundation and UJA-Federation of New York — has already strengthened the local Maraki Health Center, provided emergency food aid and health insurance to 3,000 families, trained over 70 local health professionals, and conducted more than 31,000 screenings in door-to-door health campaigns.

It’s all part of JDC putting Jewish values into action for the wider world — a mission that extends beyond African healthcare to encompass disaster relief, women’s economic empowerment, food security, and more.

“Our approach is unique, not only because we have the extensive connections and experience to roll out far-reaching humanitarian efforts, but because we help restore a sense of purpose to those who’ve lost everything,” said Mickey Noam-Alon, JDC’s disaster response director. “Our job now is to extend our Jewish values to the most vulnerable everywhere, no matter what.”