A 3-pronged Healthcare Initiative
Liberia’s healthcare system has been ravaged by decades of war and economic fragility. In a country of over 4.5 million people, with over 68% living below the poverty line, very few families have access to reliable, high-quality health services. Responding to the urgent needs or borrowers and lending partners, FFW launched a 3-pronged healthcare initiative in 2018 in an effort to build capacity in the private sector, where over 70% of Liberians seek care.
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Supporting Benson Hospital
As the only tertiary facility in the Paynesville section of Monrovia that services a catchment area of over 100,000 people, Benson Hospital has been a vital community resource for over two decades. The Ebola outbreak decimated the capacity of the hospital, which was taken over by humanitarian aid organizations in the emergency response effort. In the years since Ebola, it has been challenging for Benson Hospital to re-establish business systems. Then, in 2018, a devasting fire debilitated the facility further. FFW stepped in with grants and loans to get Benson back on its feet and delivering essential services to the community. |
The "Network of Excellence"
A robust and rapidly expanding network of over 50 privately-owned health clinics delivering services in the catchment area of Benson Hospital, the Network of Excellence builds the capacity of local health entrepreneurs to lead and grow thriving businesses. In partnership with the World Bank, FFW has launched the program by providing business loans to over 50 health clinics with the aim of improving quality, expanding service mix, and investing in equipment and technology. Entrepreneurs enrolled in the Network of Excellence have demonstrated a 100% on-time repayment rate in the first year of the program. In the years ahead, FFW will invest heavily in this important program, expanding the loan portfolio from 50 to 150 clinic entrepreneurs, reaching over 100,000 patients annually with improved care quality. 
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The Liberia Community Health Clinic
FFW identified a health services gap in the neighborhood of Pipeline and turned to a school partner to help: Henry Reeves School has over 1000 students enrolled and, as a trusted community resource, was the perfect location to build a “health hub.” The Liberia Community Health Clinic serves the students, their family members, and the entire community with affordable, quality-assured services – an on-site pharmacy and lab, skilled clinicians, and quality assurance protocols. In the clinic’s first 6 months of operations, it treated over 500 patients for conditions like pneumonia, malaria, respiratory infections and many of the other leading causes of death and disability in Liberia. |