Canadian Nurses for Africa

What Canadian Nurses for Africa does

Canadian Nurses for Africa (CNFA) is a Canadian-registered charitable nonprofit (BN 83508 0904 RR0001) founded in 2007 that delivers volunteer nurse-led medical care and health education to underserved rural communities in Kenya. The organization is entirely volunteer-run with no paid staff, drawing on a pool of more than 15,500 registered nurses (RNs, RPNs, NPs) across Canada, and deploying teams of 12–15 nurses on annual medical missions to Vihiga County and the Kakamega region. Its core product is a mobile medical clinic model that sees an average of 600 patients per day (6,000–7,000 per two-week mission) providing treatment for malaria, respiratory infections, wounds, and chronic conditions, supplemented by hospital referrals and direct payment for advanced care.

CNFA's service portfolio extends beyond acute clinic care into a set of structured public health programs delivered year-round through Kenyan community health workers, Clinical Officers, and local partners: a jiggers (sand flea) eradication program treating ~4,000 people annually; a Maternal and Newborn Health Program (launched 2023) that has trained 150 community health workers; school deworming; sexual health education and reusable sanitary pad distribution; reading glasses distribution; a motorbike ambulance initiative for remote-area emergency transport; and complementary WASH infrastructure (wells, composting toilets) delivered with partners such as TEMPO Kenya and TEMBO Kenya. Technology footprint is minimal and operational: WHO-aligned rapid diagnostic testing for malaria and digital communications (website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, email newsletter, PayPal donations, Eventbrite ticketing) for donor and volunteer engagement — no proprietary software platform, no app, and no API.

The business model is a pure donation-funded charity: 100% of contributions support medical trips, medications, supplies, and ongoing public health programs; there is no product or service revenue. Distribution is direct-to-beneficiary in Kenya (mobile clinics, home visits, hospital transfers), while donor acquisition and fundraising occur primarily in Canada through digital channels and in-person events such as the annual 'A Year to Celebrate' gala at The Oakville Club. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors led by President Gail, with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no traditional equity ownership.

Name

Canadian Nurses for Africa

Legal name

Canadian Nurses for Africa

Website

https://canadiannursesforafrica.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Canadian Nurses for Africa is a volunteer nurse-led Canadian charity founded in 2007 that delivers mobile medical clinics, maternal health training, and public health programs to underserved communities in Vihiga and Kakamega counties of rural Kenya, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Humanitarian Healthcare Services

NAICS

Ambulatory Health Care Services (621), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG)

Keywords

• Volunteer medical missions
• Mobile health clinics
• Rural healthcare services
• Public health programs
• Maternal newborn health

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakville

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: As a registered Canadian charity (83508 0904 RR0001), CNFA operates entirely on donations. 100% of donations directly support medical trips and ongoing public health programs. Revenue is raised through individual donations, fundraising events, and volunteer contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Canadian Nurses for Africa provides free volunteer nurse-led medical care and health education programs to underserved rural communities in Vihiga and Kakamega Counties, Kenya. Core offerings include mobile medical clinics treating an average of 600 patients per day, a jiggers eradication program serving 4,000 people annually, maternal and newborn health training, sexual health teaching, school deworming, reading glass distribution, and reusable sanitary pad distribution.

Product overview

Canadian Nurses for Africa (CNFA) is a nurse-led volunteer organization that operates a portfolio of healthcare and community support programs in rural Kenya. The core offering consists of mobile medical clinics serving approximately 600 patients daily in Vihiga County, complemented by specialized health programs including jiggers eradication, maternal/newborn health, sexual health education, deworming, and vision care. Additional programs include reusable sanitary product distribution, motorbike ambulances for remote transport, and emergency food distribution. CNFA does not operate as a software platform but rather as a charitable service provider delivering healthcare through volunteer nurses and local partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mobile Medical Clinics Volunteer nurses conduct mobile medical clinics in various locations throughout Vihiga County, Kenya, seeing an average of 600 people each day. Services include treatment for malaria, respiratory infections, and wounds; hospital referrals; and payments for advanced care.
• Jiggers Eradication Program Working with Kenyan community workers, the program treats an average of 4,000 people annually for jiggers (sand flea infestation), including treatment, education, home visits, and trainer support.
• Maternal and Newborn Health Program Program trains Kenyan healthcare trainers and caregivers, focusing on reducing maternal and newborn death rates through education and support. 150 community health workers have been trained.
• Sexual Health Teaching Education on sexual health, STI prevention, and healthy relationships is provided to boys and girls in schools. Reusable sanitary pads are also distributed to girls.
• Deworming Program Nurses distribute deworming medication to school children in the areas where clinics are held, under the guidance of school principals.
• Reading Glass Distribution During clinics, reading glasses are distributed to those in need. Nurses from Canada bring as many reading glasses as possible when they come to Kenya.
• Reusable Sanitary Pad Distribution Young teen girls are provided with reusable sanitary pads which are made by generous donors in Canada.
• Motorbike Ambulances CNFA's initiative to introduce specialized motorbike ambulances designed to withstand treacherous pathways in remote rural areas to connect village homes to the nearest health facility for immediate care, particularly important for pregnant and birthing mothers.
• Well Installation Program CNFA has partnered with TEMPO Kenya to provide clean water wells to communities, addressing major water access issues. Approximate cost of $1,200 per well.
• COVID-19 Food Distribution Program Emergency food assistance program launched when travel was restricted. First round helped 850 families, second round reached 1,000+ families in the Vihiga region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,000+ patients treated annually in mobile clinics
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kenyan Medical Personnel and Community WorkerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNFA partners with Kenyan nurses, Clinical Officers, and community health promoters who work year-round on ongoing public health programs including jiggers eradication. These local partners are essential to clinic operations and follow-up care.
• Vihiga County Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNFA has made significant inroads with local health departments, identifying at least 11 health facilities that serve the villages they visit. They are building relationships to secure firm directions for patients when CNFA volunteers are not present.
• TEMPO KenyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNFA partnered with TEMPO Kenya in providing a well for the Kedoli school that is available for the entire community to use. Clean water is identified as a major issue in the region.
• TEMBO KenyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNFA partnered with TEMBO Kenya as builders for composting toilets at schools. These eco-friendly toilets have no odour and represent sustainable infrastructure improvements.
• Sheywe HotelminorOthersThe Sheywe Hotel in Kakamega serves as CNFA's operational base during medical missions, providing accommodation and support services to volunteer teams.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Partners In Health: Global health nonprofit providing direct medical care and training in low-resource settings. Comparable mission of delivering healthcare to rural underserved communities via long-term partnerships with local providers, though operating in Haiti, Rwanda, and other geographies.
• Global Medic: Canadian-registered charity providing disaster relief and medical care internationally, founded by Canadian first responders. Comparable as a Canada-based medical humanitarian NGO with volunteer-driven model and mobile outreach.
• AMREF Health Africa: Africa's largest health NGO headquartered in Nairobi, delivering community health programs and training across 35+ African countries. Highly comparable as an African-focused health nonprofit with strong community health worker training, though at significantly larger scale than CNFA.
• Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC): Canadian charity improving health in low-resource communities through medicine donation and capacity building. Comparable as a Canadian health-focused NGO working in partnership with local providers in developing countries.

Emerging players

• BuildOn: International nonprofit operating school-building and education programs in developing countries including Kenya. Comparable on the rural Kenya operational footprint and community-empowerment approach, though focuses on education rather than healthcare.
• CURE International: Christian nonprofit operating pediatric surgical hospitals and programs in low-resource countries including Kenya. Comparable as a faith-inspired medical NGO providing specialized care in Kenya, with particular overlap on CNFA's surgical referral funding (e.g., Precious case).

Regional players

• Right To Play: Canada-headquartered global organization using sport and play to improve health and education outcomes for children in low-resource countries. Comparable as a Canadian-registered international development NGO with similar volunteer-driven fundraising model.

Broad incumbents

• Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders: The largest global medical humanitarian organization, providing emergency and routine medical care in conflict and low-resource settings. Overlaps with CNFA on the medical-mission model and underserved-population focus, though at vastly greater scale and emergency-response orientation.
• International Medical Corps: Global humanitarian organization delivering emergency medical care and health programs in conflict-affected and low-resource countries. Comparable on mobile/outreach medical delivery and community health worker training.
• VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas): International development charity deploying skilled professionals as volunteers in low-income countries, with significant health programming. Comparable on the skilled-volunteer-deployment model for health system strengthening.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CanadianNursesForAfrica
• Instagraminstagram.com/canadiannursesforafrica1

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 Canadian Nurses for Africa