FAME Africa

FAME Africa Advancing patient-centered care in rural Africa. Patient names are changed, explicit consent granted. Dr. Artress is an American physician. Kilimanjaro.

The Foundation for African Medicine & Education is a non-profit corporation registered in the United States. It was created to improve the quality of medical care in East Africa. FAME endeavors to help bridge the gap between a critically under-resourced healthcare system and first-world medicine. FAME is currently focused on improving the quality and accessibility of medical care in Tanzania and m

aking a difference in the day-to-day lives of the Tanzanian people. He has traveled extensively and participated in medical relief projects around the globe. His wife, Susan, is trained in counseling and educational psychology and has worked for many years in school-based mental health and prevention. Frank and Susan have lived and worked in Tanzania since 2003and currently reside in Karatu, Tanzania. They coordinate and oversee the day-to-day operations of all FAME projects. Certain places on the planet can capture a person's heart and alter the direction of one's life. For us, Tanzania is such a place. At the start of the new millenium we found ourselves at a crossroads and began to experience a shift in how we wanted to spend the second half of our lives. For years, we had talked about climbing Mt. Finally in July of 2002, we began our ascent of the highest peak in Africa. At the time, we could not have known Frank would nearly die atop that mountain, nor how those critical moments would shape the rest of our lives. The perseverance, generosity, and resourcefulness of our guide and his crew awakened us to the resilience of the human spirit - that place inside each of us where grace and strength reside. After several months back in the U.S., we decided to return to Tanzania, this time to contribute back to a people whose voice is rarely heard in the rest of the world, a people who have few opportunities to share their wisdom, their strength, and their dreams with the rest of us. From this place, the Foundation for African Medicine and Education was born. Board of Directors

Frank Artress, Co-Founder & President
Susan Gustafson, Co-Founder & Vice-President
Jeanne Artress, Secretary/Treasurer
Graham Pierce, Director
Jack Paddon, Director
Nancy Paddon, Director

40,000+ patient visits. Thousands of people cared for. One growing healthcare system.Behind every number is a person, a ...
08/26/2026

40,000+ patient visits. Thousands of people cared for. One growing healthcare system.

Behind every number is a person, a family, a moment when care mattered.

In 2025, FAME provided care through more than 40,000 patient visits across our hospital and clinical services — from diagnosis and treatment to emergency care and life-saving surgery. As a referral center serving communities across northern Tanzania, we continued to expand our ability to care for patients with increasingly complex needs.

These numbers are more than milestones. They represent the people and families who walked through FAME’s doors and the dedicated Tanzanian team who cared for them every day.

Read the full 2025 Annual Report through the link below to discover more about the impact we made together.

https://online.fliphtml5.com/chmqu/FAME-Annual-Report-2025_FINAL-DIGITAL/ =1

What we have been building together is finally here.The 2025 Annual Report is a look at a year of growth, learning and p...
08/21/2026

What we have been building together is finally here.

The 2025 Annual Report is a look at a year of growth, learning and progress at FAME and at what that growth means for the future of healthcare in northern Tanzania.

In 2025, we provided care through more than 40,000 patient visits, strengthened services across the hospital, invested in the skills and expertise of our Tanzanian team and continued building the systems that allow FAME to meet the evolving needs of a growing community. From emergency to surgical intervention, maternal care to the NICU, education and training, outreach and beyond, our work is about more than treating patients today. It is about building a stronger healthcare system for tomorrow.

We are proud of what we accomplished in 2025, but we also know the work is far from finished. As healthcare needs continue to evolve, so must FAME. We are strengthening our services, investing more in people, innovating and building sustainable systems. This is how you build healthier generations.

Read our 2025 Annual Report through the link below and see what we built together and where we’re going next.

https://online.fliphtml5.com/chmqu/FAME-Annual-Report-2025_FINAL-DIGITAL/ =1

🤝 Behind Every Handshake"The smallest thread can hold together what seems impossible to mend." In the human body, some o...
08/17/2026

🤝 Behind Every Handshake

"The smallest thread can hold together what seems impossible to mend." In the human body, some of the strongest "threads" are the tendons-quietly working behind every handshake, every harvest, every meal prepared and every child embraced.

Tendons are strong bands of connective tissue that attach muscles to bones, allowing our fingers, hands and arms to move with remarkable precision. Though slender in appearance, they make countless everyday movements possible. When a tendon is completely severed, even the simplest actions - holding a cup, buttoning a shirt or gripping a loved one's hand - can suddenly become impossible.

At FAME Hospital, our Emergency Department has cared for numerous patients whose tendons were sharply cut in unexpected accidents involving knives, farming tools, machinery and other traumatic injuries. For these patients, every passing hour matters. Without timely surgical repair, severed tendons can permanently shorten, scar or lose their function, making full recovery far more difficult. Fortunately, our surgical team has the expertise to perform delicate tendon repair procedures, restoring the connection that gives the hand its movement and function.

Because of that expertise, many patients have regained the ability to bend and straighten their fingers, return to work, care for their families and once again perform the everyday tasks that most of us rarely think twice about. Every successful tendon repair is more than a surgical procedure - it is the restoration of independence, dignity and quality of life.

"Successful tendon repair is about far more than reconnecting tissue. It is about restoring function, preserving livelihoods and giving patients the opportunity to return to the lives they love. Timely treatment and meticulous surgical technique are essential to achieving the best possible outcomes." - Dr. Manjira, Medical Officer in Charge and General Surgeon, FAME Hospital.

He traveled hundreds of miles across Tanzania carrying one profession: a passion for caring for others. But deep inside,...
08/13/2026

He traveled hundreds of miles across Tanzania carrying one profession: a passion for caring for others. But deep inside, his childhood dream of working with electronics was still burning bright.

A nurse with a passion for technology found himself at FAME, where he discovered a new way of caring for patients - through the equipment that keeps their care possible.

Today, that childhood passion has grown into a developing biomedical program helping FAME maintain the equipment its healthcare teams depend on every day.

Discover the story behind “A Fulfilled Childhood Dream.” Read the full story by clicking the photo below:

A hospital is a place where every second matters. A machine must work when a doctor needs it. A light must turn on when a procedure begins. A system must continue running when a patient's care depends on it. But what happens when something stops working? At FAME, there is a team ready to respond.

The Gift From WithinThere is an old saying: A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. Blood donation is much th...
08/11/2026

The Gift From Within

There is an old saying: A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. Blood donation is much the same. A single act of generosity can become someone else's second chance at life.

At FAME, we are reminded every day that saving lives takes many forms. Blood donors give something deeply personal so that someone they may never meet can have another chance at life — a mother facing childbirth complications, a child battling severe anemia, a trauma patient after a road traffic accident or someone undergoing life-saving surgery.

Over the past year, FAME Hospital transfused almost a thousand units of blood/ Behind every one was a person who chose to give, and behind every transfusion was a patient whose care depended on having blood available when it was needed most.

This year's Blood Donation Campaign, which took place in conjunction with our FAME Marathon on June 14, reminded us that behind every successful transfusion is a selfless individual who chose to give without expecting anything in return. To every voluntary blood donor, thank you. Your generosity flows far beyond the donation chair - it reaches hospital beds, anxious families and patients whose futures are brighter because of you.

Blood is one essential part of saving a life. So are the nurses, doctors, medicines, equipment and the resources that make care possible. The generosity of blood donors and the financial support from FAME's donors come together to ensure that when a patient arrives at our hospital, we are ready to help.

"Every unit of blood tells a story of humanity. We are deeply grateful to every donor who has stepped forward to save lives. Your generosity gives our medical teams the ability to respond when every second counts, and your gift continues to bring hope to patients and families throughout our community." — Joyce, Laboratory Technician, FAME Hospital.

Today is Farmers' Day in Tanzania!Every harvest has a story. Some begin in our community, while others quietly grow with...
08/08/2026

Today is Farmers' Day in Tanzania!

Every harvest has a story. Some begin in our community, while others quietly grow within the heart of FAME.

Read "A Culture Rooted in the Soil," a story that honors the hands which nourish our community every day, through the link below:
https://fameafrica.org/journal/2026-fame-a-culture-rooted-in-the-soil

Every mother deserves the knowledge and support to give her baby the healthiest possible start in life.Since January 202...
08/04/2026

Every mother deserves the knowledge and support to give her baby the healthiest possible start in life.

Since January 2025, FAME has provided breastfeeding education to more than 2,000 women enrolled in the prenatal care program in our Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Clinic. Using the "Nine Steps to Successful Breastfeeding," expectant mothers gain practical knowledge and confidence long before their babies are born.

That education continues in FAME's Maternity Center. In 2025, more than 1,300 babies were born at FAME, and every new mother receives personalized breastfeeding counseling before leaving the hospital. Our maternity team provides hands-on guidance, helping mothers establish breastfeeding in those critical first hours and days of their baby's life.

The journey doesn't end there. During follow-up visits in the RCH Clinic, FAME's nurse nutritionist, Jacob, and our dedicated healthcare team continue to support breastfeeding mothers. They provide nutrition counseling, answer questions and identify challenges such as feeding difficulties, stunting or jaundice early, ensuring mothers and babies receive the care they need to thrive.

This World Breastfeeding Week, we celebrate the mothers who are committed to giving their children the healthiest possible start—and the healthcare professionals who walk alongside them every step of the way.

When Hope Has a Place to GoSome journeys are worth every mile.After countless sleepless nights and repeated treatments t...
07/30/2026

When Hope Has a Place to Go

Some journeys are worth every mile.

After countless sleepless nights and repeated treatments that never truly solved the problem, Magreth brought her young daughter to FAME, hoping this time would be different.

It was.

Our surgical team identified the root cause of her daughter's suffering and performed a tonsillectomy, giving her the lasting relief that years of temporary treatments could not.

For Magreth, this wasn't her first journey to FAME. Over the years, she has entrusted us with her family's care — from the birth of her child to moments when they needed expert medical attention. Like so many families across northern Tanzania, she knows that when every other option has been exhausted, FAME is a place where hope is restored and healing begins.

Because FAME is here, thousands of people no longer have to live with treatable conditions or endure years of unanswered questions. They have access to skilled doctors, compassionate nurses and life-changing treatment.

Stories like Magreth's are possible because of compassionate supporters who believe that everyone deserves access to exceptional healthcare, regardless of where they live. Your generosity helps ensure that when families have nowhere else to turn, FAME is here — ready to provide not just treatment, but answers, healing and hope.

Last year, FAME Hospital screened more than 2,500 patients for hepatitis, providing vaccination and follow-up care to he...
07/28/2026

Last year, FAME Hospital screened more than 2,500 patients for hepatitis, providing vaccination and follow-up care to help stop the disease before it spreads.

Hepatitis testing is a routine part of outpatient care and is mandatory for all pregnant women and blood donors, helping protect mothers, newborns, blood recipients and our entire community.

Sometimes, the most important moment in medicine isn't the first diagnosis — it's the decision to look again. A second a...
07/24/2026

Sometimes, the most important moment in medicine isn't the first diagnosis — it's the decision to look again. A second assessment, the right expertise, and the determination to never give up can change everything in ways no one expects.

Every referral carries a story, but not every story ends the way it first appears. At FAME Hospital, hope is strengthened through careful reassessment, teamwork, and the belief that every life deserves every possible chance.

This remarkable story is a powerful reminder of why timely referrals and skilled care matter.

Read the full story, "The Power of Reassessment," by clicking the link below:
https://fameafrica.org/journal/2026-fame-the-power-of-reassessment

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