Jacques Sebisaho

Biography

Jacques Sebisaho is from the island of Idjwi, on Lake Kivu between the DRCongo and Rwanda. While the remote island has largely been untouched by direct conflict in the region, Idjwi has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world and a life expectancy of just 25 years. A doctor by training, Sebisaho is building a health care system to change that. His organization, Amani Global Works, is pioneering a primary health care model that develops hospitals, clinics, and community-health outreach programs that save lives by bringing treatment to the people who need it most.Since its founding in 2010, Amani has trained hundreds of community health care workers, and has established 12 satellite health clinics and one referral hospital. While the government spends $40 per person for primary care, Amani can provide primary health care for just $18 per person. Today, Amani is providing free health care for 300,000 and now scaling this model to 15 million people.