Help educate 10 Million Africans about stroke and improve healthcare in local communities. Together, we can reduce the number of deaths and disability caused by stroke and related complications.
WHAT
The MasterStroke project is a stroke awareness and support project organized by Acha Memorial Foundation.
The overall focus is, address the stroke challenge in Africa through:
- Massive awareness & education campaigns around stroke in local communities. Education will focus on prevention, symptoms identification and promotion of healthy lifestyles (e.g. fitness activities) that help prevent stroke
- Creating a support system to help people with stroke and their families. Support system will focus on platforms to access the right treatment facility and/or providing rehabilitation support
Our Mission
We are determined to reduce the number of stroke cases in Africa one local community at a time. How are we going to achieve this? We will provide life saving information to local people; connect them to the right treatment facilities; create support systems and tools to help rehabilitation. By doing all these, we want to become one of the most recognized and leading advocate for stroke prevention and treatment in Africa
Our goal is to reach at least 2 million people every year with a blend of virtual and physical activities.
Did You Know?
An average of 168 people die of stroke daily in African countries. This breaks down to 18 stroke cases recorded every hour and seven deaths each hour.
- The number of strokes cases in Africa increases by 10 percent every year.
- 80 percent of stroke cases in Africa are preventable because the root cause is bad lifestyle habits such as a lack of physical activities
- With dilapidated health systems and a lack of awareness, these countries are badly affected by stroke.
- In Africa, dilapidated health systems and a lack of awareness make it very difficult to address the gap in stroke awareness, treatment, and appropriate rehabilitation.
MasterStroke is an initiative of Acha Memorial Foundation. Learn More.
WHY
Our Story
“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
…
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
…” – John Donne
February 2015 our family lost our dad due to complications from stroke. Our dad’s stroke experience was tragic because it was very hard to find the right information around stroke treatment and rehabilitation local African communities. In our dad’s case, quick access to the right information and appropriate treatment would have saved his life. During this experience, we recognized a big gap in community health services with regards to managing a stroke situation. We realized we could save many lives if:
- We are able to help people in local communities access the right information and appropriate treatment (how to prevent stroke, identify symptoms and who/which institution to contact when a family member has stroke)
- Stroke doesn’t always have to end in death or disability, if people get the right rehabilitation and medical support
This was how the idea for this flagship project was born. In memory of our late father, we wanted to make a change and educate as many people as we can about stroke. We brought together a few other people who were equally passionate about our cause and started this project under an organization called Acha Memorial Foundation. We are on a mission to reach millions of people, educate them about stroke and support the people already affected by stroke in Africa.
Why Support Us?
By supporting our work, you will be helping us:
- Within the next 5 years educate 10 Million Africans about how to prevent and support stroke victims
- Build a database for local communities to access stroke treatment hospitals and organizations that provide support services
- Provide low cost support to certain groups of survivors who cannot afford treatment and rehabilitation because of poverty
- Establish a Framework for continuous stroke rehabilitation – a pathway for stroke survivors and their families to rediscover a better life
- Drive a project that saves lives and provides a better life for local people
- Bring to the attention of politicians and relevant stakeholders, the impact/dangers of the “silent epidemic” called stroke
HOW
Partnerships
We partner with different stakeholders to execute our projects. Our partners help us in many ways to improve the efficacy, impact, and sustainability of the work we do. From improving outreach efforts to enhancing programs and services, our partners are valuable contributors to our goals.
Program Planning & Management
We provide programs (a mix of diverse and integrated activities) that address the stroke challenge in small local communities.
Solid Engagement Strategy
Our strategy for communication is robust and involves diverse communication channels and tactics. We have a social media strategy that expands our outreach programs.
Outreach & Advocacy
We drive community outreach efforts and activities to ensure that stakeholders (individuals, groups, and communities) throughout our local communities of interests are made aware of, understand, and have a working knowledge of available stroke prevention tools, support, programs and services located within their communities. Our advocacy effort is focused on influencing decisions around stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation support. We’re pushing for a change in approach within political, economic, social systems and institutions.
Scale Up Strategy
To increase our impact, we “scale up” by expanding our interventions to reach larger populations. Our scaling process involves taking a model that works well in one community and trying it out in another. It also involves the use of expansion strategies such as deploying virtual platforms such as social media and physically implementing solutions at new local communities of interests.
Help end this silent epidemic. Donate now.
Get Involved
MasterStroke is currently a very small charity. When it comes to what we aim to accomplish within the next 5 years, we are punching above our weight . Your support makes it possible for MasterStroke to accomplish its goals, reduce stroke cases, promote recovery and save lives. There are 5 options for you to get involved:
1. Donate
Support our mission with your donations: Your contribution no matter how small is significant. Every amount you give goes directly to creating awareness and improving the lives of stroke victims and survivors.
- $10 to $50 is enough to purchase and distribute informational materials in Africa
- $100 to $500 will purchase lifesaving medications and tools that supports a stroke survivor’s rehabilitation
- $500 to $1000 is enough to run a small successful physical campaign in a local community
- $1000 to $5000 buys equipments for to help stroke survivors
2. Organize
Create your own fundraiser and help us raise funds to achieve our goals. If you don’t already have a fundraising idea – that’s ok! We can support you with great ideas for Fundraisers’. Organizing a fundraising event for us requires two steps:
- Tell us about your event. We’ll contact you, register your event and help provide you with informational materials and align your campaign with the MasterStroke brand.
- Start Fundraising: Once you are set-up, you can begin fundraising (online or offline). Note: we’re at the moment not able to support a more customized fundraising page, but we can provide consultation support around this.
3. Partner With Us
Are you a corporate entity looking to enhance your corporate social responsibility? Do you provide stroke services and support stroke survivors? For our current project work in Nigeria, we are looking for organizations and individuals who provide stroke related services (treatment & rehabilitation). Please contact us if you are:
- Local hospitals/healthcare providers
- Stroke treatment and rehabilitation Professionals (physiotherapist, massage therapists etc.)
- NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations)
- Local or national government bureau responsible for health provision –looking for organisations to deliver stroke services or be able to offer advice or funding.
4. Promote & Share
Get the word out by sharing it on social media with others, so they can do the same. Using word of mouth, social media platforms etc. Call out your friends, family members, teammates or co-workers and ask them to donate towards the MasterStroke project. Use our promo kit to share with your friends.
5. Volunteer
We are constantly looking for skilled volunteers to help us accomplish our goals. You can volunteer remotely and/or come down and help our community work in Africa. If you’re a professional interested in exploring volunteer opportunities with MasterStroke, please contact us. Your involvement could make a big difference on our team. The following volunteer positions are immediately available:
- Graphics Designer
- Content developers/writers for newsletter
- CrowdFunding Campaign Lead
- Social Media Manager
- Virtual Education Manager
Whatever your time availability is or your time zone, we have great opportunities to get you involved. Want to learn more?
6. Wish List
There are items that help us encourage prevention and/or support survivors in their rehabilitation process. Using our wish list, you can:
- Order and send/ship/post (mail) to us directly, individual items on our list
- Coordinate your own donations drive, reach out to your friends for donations and send/ship/post (mail) the items to us. Items can be shipped to us directly.
Please download and review our current wish-list.
Note: Items must be in good condition (not broken, blemished, worn-out, covered in dirt or have an odorous smell). If you are interested, contact us by email at for more information around shipping to our country location. Unfortunately, we do not cover shipping and/or postal cost. Want to learn more?
7. Fund An Awareness Event
You can fund a small awareness and stroke support activity in a local community with $1000 and above! Donate today!
MasterStroke is an initiative of Acha Memorial Foundation. Learn More.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Join the movement and share MasterStroke with the world.
Use #MasterStroke and educate others about stroke.
Click an image below to download at full size and share on Social Media.
See more downloadable resources on desktop website.
PARTNERS
The World Stroke Organization (WSO)
The project organizers, Acha Memorial Foundation is a member of WSO. The World Stroke Organization (WSO) is the world’s leading organization in the fight against stroke. It was established in October 2006 through the merger of the International Stroke Society and the World Stroke Federation with the purpose of creating one world voice for stroke. Today, WSO has more than 2000 individual members and over 60 society members from 85 different countries.
AIESEC
AIESEC is the world’s largest youth-run non-profit organization that facilitates the premiere Global Internship Program amongst 124 countries. Our partnership with AIESEC in Nigeria is mutually beneficial. On one hand, Acha Memorial Foundation provides AIESEC’s young leaders with impactful professional and volunteering experiences to activate their leadership potential. On the other hand, AIESEC Nigeria provides Acha Memorial Foundation HR support and helps implement a crisp Volunteer strategy.
Nigeria Stroke Society
Stroke Association Nigeria was formed in 2012 to fill a void as a national non- profit health care organisation focusing 100 percent of its resources and attention on stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Part of its outreach and advocacy mission is to organise awareness of stroke among different ethnic groups of people in Nigeria by raising the awareness of the public, the media, politicians, policy makers and health professionals.
JIG Initiative for Better Health Africa
JIG Initiative for Better Health Africa (JIFBHA) is a Non -Governmental Organization in Nigeria. JIFBHA is a rural community based health development organization with a primary goal of facilitating easy access to health related solutions in Nigeria and in extension to other rural communities across Africa. Acha Memorial Foundation and JIFBHA partner to drive maximum impact program implementation. AMF leverages JIFBHA networks in local communities to drive its program and reach a wider audience. We also occasional share and contribute resources to achieving a common goal in terms of program execution.
GOLY
Goly strives to empower people by connecting them with opportunities and educate them. Advancement in technology has changed the way we live today, all across the globe. Goly has identified crucial areas, that if powered by technology, authentic services can help businesses and consumers achieve their goals. Goly is working with us to build a system and structure that connects health care experts to people who require their services. We are excited about this partnership and the technology Goly brings to our work.
Nigerian Young Professional Forum
The Nigerian Young Professional Forum (NYPF) is a non-governmental Organization composed of young professional from different professional fields. The objective of the platform is to achieve three major objectives, namely; national integration in Nigeria; engender purposeful leadership in Nigeria and encourage young people’s participation in governance and the economic process. The organization has a membership strength of about 13 million young Nigerian professionals globally, a number that represents 60-65% of our Nigeria’s population. We are partnering with the Northern Nigerian chapter to reach locals in 19 Northern States in Nigeria.
Other Partners
We partner with many local organizations and institutions such as hospitals, nonprofits, and corporate entities. If you would like to partner with us, please contact us.