Nigeria is home to the third-largest number of poor people in the world. There are more Nigerians living on less than $1/day than there are people living in South Africa, Kenya and Malawi combined.

The following are just a few of the many reasons why a world-class facility like Augustine Memorial Hospital is necessary in Nigeria:

Poor Key Health Indicators

• Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. Approximately 1 in 5 Africans is a Nigerian.
  The country's life expectancy is 47 years.

• One in five Nigerian children dies before the age of five, approximately 1,000,000 in total each year.

• The country has the second highest number of maternal deaths annually, behind only India.

HIV/AIDS and Malaria Especially Pernicious in Nigeria

• Nigeria has the second largest HIV-infected population in the world. According to the World Health Organization, it also has the third highest level of unmet need for anti-retroviral therapy in the world.

• Nigeria has the largest number of AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, and there are more Nigerian children living with HIV than in any other country in Africa.

• A child dies of malaria in Africa every 29 seconds. In Nigeria, 80% of the population is exposed to the disease, and 60 million individuals experience a malaria attack at least twice in a year. The Nigerian economy loses an estimated US$1.1 billion each year due to malaria-related absenteeism and treatment costs.

• Though malaria is both easily preventable and treatable, 300,000 Nigerian children and 7,000 mothers die annually from the disease.

• Malaria accounts for 25% of Nigeria's staggeringly high infant mortality rate, 30% of its child mortality rate (children less than 5 years of age), and 11% of its maternal mortality rate. Though malaria accounts for 63% of all reported diseases in Nigerian health facilities, less than 1% of the total population uses insecticide-treated bednets.

Inadequate Healthcare Infrastructure and Low Inadequate Healthcare Expenditures

• Nigeria in general, and Anambra State in particular, suffer from woefully inadequate healthcare infrastructures. According to a 2007 report by the World Health Organization, Nigeria's health system ranks 187 out of 190 countries.

• Our privately-funded hospital is needed to help compensate for pitifully low federal healthcare expenditures. According to the World Bank, per capita public spending for health is less than US$5 and is as low as US$2 in some parts of Nigeria. This is far below the US$34 recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for low income countries.

Nigeria Receives Little Development Assistance

• Though Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa (1 in 5 Africans is a Nigerian) and has some of the worst social indicators in the world, it is often ignored by Western donors. According to the British government, Nigeria receives approximately $6 in development assistance per capita. The average for sub-Saharan Africa is over $20.

Average Nigerian Citizens Unable to Afford Healthcare

• Our nonprofit hospital is needed to help compensate for the fact that a great majority of Nigerians cannot pay for their own healthcare. Nigeria is paradoxically classified among the 20 poorest countries in the world despite its rich oil reserves, natural resources, agricultural potential, and impressive human capital. Roughly 70% of Nigerians live below the poverty line of one US dollar per day, compared to 43% in 1985.

Anambra State At Risk

• Anambra State presents a massive risk setting for HIV, AIDS, and sexually transmitted infections. Onitsha, one of its major cities, harbors one of the largest markets in West Africa. Traders from across the continent visit Onitsha on a daily basis to do business. This has inevitably resulted in a boom in the sex trade. Awka, the state capital, has a large number of civil servants. University students are housed in individual private apartments in the city, leaving them exposed to risks. There is also a substantial sex industry in the capital.

• The level of risk perception among the general population is very low, markedly among both in- and out-of- school youth. A 2003 study of young Nigerians aged 15-24 revealed that only 21% of young men and 18% of young women had a basic knowledge of AIDS transmission. The majority of those surveyed believed a healthy looking person couldn't be infected with HIV.

The GEANCO Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. All donations made to the GEANCO Foundation are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.