Inter Care - Medical Aid for Africa

What Inter Care - Medical Aid for Africa does

Inter Care is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 275637, Company No. 1162279) founded in 1974 and headquartered in Syston, Leicester. It operates a medical surplus redistribution model: the charity collects unused, in-date medical supplies from NHS hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, care homes, and individual donors in the United Kingdom and ships them in consolidated containers to more than 100 partner rural health units across five sub-Saharan African countries — Malawi, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. Since inception, Inter Care has dispatched cumulative medical aid valued at £20,545,984, with the most recent reported year delivering 113,849 patient treatments and 882,471 items across three containers with per-shipment values ranging from £128,000 to £228,000.

Operationally, the charity holds an MHRA Wholesalers Dealers Licence, which authorises the lawful storage and onward supply of donated pharmaceuticals and is a material regulatory asset. The organisation runs with a small team of seven employees and a leadership group including General Manager Diane Hardy and fundraising staff Claudia Coxon and Charlotte. Its distribution pipeline is supported by a stable roster of UK pharmaceutical donors (Crescent Pharma, KCI/Acelity, Omron, Toffeln, Accendo Pharma, Pal International, Vygon UK) and logistics counterparties including Action Medeor in Germany.

The business model is donation-funded rather than commercial. Income is generated from individual giving, corporate donations, fundraising events, match-funded campaigns through The Big Give, and Unity Lottery participation routed via JustGiving. The charity is a registered member of the Fundraising Regulator and is governed as a non-profit entity; there are no equity investors, no pricing model in the commercial sense, and no revenue contracts. Strategic activity in 2024 centred on the 50th anniversary, marked by a House of Lords reception in November 2024 and an Apostolic Nuncio certificate in July 2024, alongside record-value shipments to Central Malawi and Sierra Leone.

Name

Inter Care - Medical Aid for Africa

Legal name

Inter Care Ltd

Website

https://intercare.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Inter Care is a UK charity that collects surplus in-date medical supplies from the NHS, pharmaceutical companies, and care homes and redistributes them in consolidated containers to more than 100 rural health units across five sub-Saharan African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Medical Aid Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health, Population & WASH Aid Programs (BPADABAC), Logistics, Supply Chain & Humanitarian Air/Sea/Land Transport (BPADADAF)

Keywords

• Medical aid charity
• Surplus medical supplies
• Humanitarian healthcare aid
• Medical supply recycling
• Sub-Saharan health units

Headquarters

HQ city

Syston, Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-off and regular donations from individuals supporting medical aid for Africa. Donations can be made via JustGiving platform, direct bank transfer, or during fundraising events.
2. Medical Supply Donations: Receipt of surplus medical supplies from pharmaceutical companies, NHS GP practices, hospitals, care homes, and medical suppliers. The charity holds a Wholesalers Dealers Licence from the MHRA enabling acceptance of new medicines from licensed companies.
3. Fundraising Events: Revenue generated through organized events including ceilidhs, curry nights, treasure hunts, quiz nights, golf days, and community challenges. Events held at venues across Leicestershire, UK.
4. The Big Give Campaigns: Participation in The Big Give Christmas Challenge provides match funding where donations are doubled during specific campaign periods.
5. Unity Lottery: 50p from every £1 spent on Unity Lottery tickets is donated to Inter Care.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Inter Care collects surplus medical supplies, including medicines and equipment, from NHS GP practices, hospitals, care homes, pharmaceutical companies, and members of the UK public, and redistributes them in 20ft shipping containers to over 100 partner rural health units across five sub-Saharan African countries (Malawi, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ghana). The charity operates a donation-funded model with no products or services sold, sustaining regular consignments and specific equipment grants (e.g., One Wish Project) to address critical healthcare supply gaps in resource-limited health facilities.

Product overview

Inter Care is a UK-based medical aid charity that operates as a unified charitable organization focused on collecting surplus medical supplies from the UK and distributing them to rural health units across sub-Saharan Africa. The core offerings include a Medical Aid Donation Program that accepts surplus medical items from health professionals, corporations, and the public; Shipping Containers of Medical Supplies sent regularly to partner health units; the One Wish Project that funds specific medical equipment requests; and various fundraising events and Community Champions programs. The organization maintains sustainable ongoing consignments to over 100 rural health units across five sub-Saharan African countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Aid Donation Program Charity program that collects surplus medical supplies and medicines from UK sources (NHS GP practices, hospitals, care homes, pharmaceutical companies, and the public) and redistributes them to over 100 partner health units in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Shipping Containers of Medical Supplies 20ft shipping containers of medical equipment and supplies sent on a regular basis to partner health units in sub-Saharan Africa, including hospitals and health centres. Three containers were dispatched in the last financial year.
• One Wish Project Funding program that helps upgrade medical facilities across Africa by providing specific medical equipment requested by partner health units (e.g., dental chairs, phototherapy machines).
• Regular Consignments Sustainable ongoing delivery of medical aid to over 100 rural health units across five sub-Saharan African countries (Malawi, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ghana).
• Fundraising Events Community fundraising events including treasure hunts, ceilidhs, curry nights, quiz nights, and golf days to support medical aid operations.
• Community Champions Program Volunteer fundraising program enabling individuals to raise funds through challenges like marathons and wing walks.

Quantifiable outcome

• 113,849 patient treatments provided in last financial year through medicine provision
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crescent PharmacoreOthersOne of Inter Care's biggest donors of medicines. Staff members completed the 3 Peaks Challenge (Snowdonia, Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis) in July 2018 in aid of Inter Care.
• KCI (Acelity Company)coreOthersDonated over £60,000 worth of dressings to Inter Care in January 2018 for distribution to partner health units in Africa.
• OmronminorOthersDonated 2,000 digital thermometers for distribution to partner health units in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Toffeln FootwearminorOthersDonated stethoscopes and footwear to be sent to St Francis of Assisi in Tanzania and prisons.
• Accendo PharmaminorOthersMade generous donation along with ActiKid for distribution through partner health units.
• Action MedeorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity based in Germany with branches in Malawi and Tanzania. Donated £1,500 of Diclofenac ampoules to 16 partner health units in Malawi in September 2018.
• Pal InternationalminorOthersDonated PPE supplies that were redirected to UK care homes during COVID-19 pandemic when export restrictions prevented shipping to Africa.
• Peregrine LivefoodsminorOthersDonated PPE supplies that were redirected to UK care homes during COVID-19 pandemic.
• Vygon UK LtdminorOthersMade generous donation of Tonsillectomy kits to St Joseph's Hospital in Malawi.
• LOROS HospiceminorOthersLocal Leicester hospice that received PPE donations during COVID-19 pandemic.
• BBC East MidlandsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia coverage of PPE delivery project during COVID-19 pandemic, featuring Inter Care's community response.
• 10x10 PhilanthropyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent connecting smaller charities with young business people. Inter Care won over the audience and raised over £3,000 through pledges, auction and raffle in September 2019.
• JustGivingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline donation platform used for receiving donations, fundraising campaigns, and Christmas appeals.
• The Big GivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK's largest online match funding campaign. Inter Care participates in Christmas Challenge where donations are matched during campaign period.
• Fundraising RegulatorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory body ensuring ethical fundraising practices. Inter Care is a member operating by their Code of Practice.
• Atupele Community HospitalminorOthersOne of five hospitals receiving 20% share of Northern Malawi container shipment.
• Kaseye Community HospitalminorOthersOne of five hospitals receiving 20% share of Northern Malawi container shipment.
• Mzambazi Community HospitalminorOthersOne of five hospitals receiving 20% share of Northern Malawi container shipment. Received phototherapy machine through One Wish project.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Health Poverty Action: UK-registered charity working on global health and poverty issues including in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable in UK base and African health focus, though primarily a policy/advocacy organization rather than a medical supply redistributor.

Direct peers

• International Health Partners (IHP): UK-based charity that redistributes surplus donated medicines from pharmaceutical companies to vulnerable populations in developing countries. Closest UK peer to Inter Care given shared geography, regulatory framework (MHRA), pharmaceutical supply model, and African end-recipients.
• Direct Relief: US-based humanitarian aid organization that collects surplus medical supplies and pharmaceuticals from manufacturers and healthcare providers for redistribution to under-resourced health facilities worldwide. Directly comparable mission, supply model, and end-recipient profile to Inter Care, though at significantly larger scale.
• Action Medeor: Germany-based medical aid charity with branches in Malawi and Tanzania that supplies essential medicines to health facilities in low-income countries. Already an active partner of Inter Care, demonstrating direct comparability in mission, geography, and recipient profile.
• MAP International: US non-profit that collects donated medicines and medical supplies from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributes them to hospitals and clinics in developing countries. Operates a near-identical surplus-redistribution model serving African and other low-income country health facilities.

Broad incumbents

• Partners in Health: Global health non-profit providing direct healthcare services and medical supplies in low-income countries including several African nations. Comparable African healthcare focus but operates with far greater scale, clinical infrastructure, and a direct-service model rather than pure redistribution.
• Americares: Large US-based health-focused humanitarian organization distributing donated medicines, medical supplies, and emergency relief to global partners. Comparable in operating model and recipient base, but operates at far greater scale with broader emergency response capabilities beyond surplus redistribution.
• Project HOPE: US-based global health organization delivering medicines, medical supplies, and health worker training to under-resourced countries. Overlapping mission in medical aid distribution but operates broader programming including emergency response, training, and direct clinical services.

Emerging players

• Medical Teams International: US-based non-profit providing medical care and supplies to refugees and vulnerable populations globally, including in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable end-recipient population and reliance on donated medical resources, with more emphasis on direct clinical service delivery.
• Tabletochki Charitable Foundation: European charitable foundation focused on providing medicines and medical supplies to children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Comparably sized niche medical aid charity operating in adjacent humanitarian health supply distribution, though narrower in therapeutic focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/icmedaid4africa
• Facebookfacebook.com/INTERCAREMEDICALAID
• Instagraminstagram.com/intercaremedicalaid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inter-care-medical-aid-for-africa

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Inter Care - Medical Aid for Africa