AMREF (African Medical and Research Foundation) UK has hosted a number of Professional Fellowships since the scheme started and has had consistently positive experiences as a result.
‘For each round of Professional Fellows, we feel the scheme has had a huge impact on the personal development of the individual concerned, the projects they support/manage, their colleagues in Africa, and ultimately on AMREF’s work to improve health in Africa.
‘Professional Fellows have been able to pass on skills and knowledge gained during their Fellowship to colleagues, through formal training and also through informal discussions and events, on their return to AMREF country offices in Africa. The programmes have reflected generally organisational as well as individual needs, to ensure optimum transfer of skills.
‘The opportunity has provided AMREF Professional Fellows with training that they would otherwise never have had access to, and has also enabled them to experience living and working in the UK – an experience which has massively impacted upon their confidence and capacity.
‘The Fellows have been able to work closely with members of the AMREF UK team, which has been an incredibly positive experience for both the UK team and the Fellows, enabling an increased understanding of how the different offices work, what people’s roles are, and how we can work together more effectively to improve the capacity of AMREF worldwide.
‘It has undoubtedly improved the way that they work and all Fellows have, on their return, spread the benefits of their learning to a wide audience, both within AMREF and externally. As AMREF is an African-based organisation and works directly with communities across East and southern Africa, this increased capacity impacts directly upon the projects and on the communities the projects work with.’
2008 Commonwealth Professional Fellows with the UK AMREF team
