Who we are

Mission Statement
"Our mission is twofold:
1) To enhance the quality of medical care in East Africa.
2) To create educational opportunities for individuals who express an interest in contributing back to their communities."

Certain places on the planet can capture a person’s heart and alter the direction of one’s life. For us, Tanzania is such a place.

Roughly six years ago we found ourselves at a crossroads and began to experience a shift in how we wanted to spend the second half of our lives. For years, we had talked about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Finally in July of 2002, we began our ascent of the highest peak in Africa.

At the time, we could not have known Frank would nearly die atop that mountain, nor how those critical moments would shape the rest of our lives. The perseverance, generosity, and resourcefulness of our guide and his crew awakened us to the resilience of the human spirit - that place inside each of us where grace and strength reside.

After several months back in the U.S., we decided to return to Tanzania, this time to contribute back to a people whose voice is rarely heard in the rest of the world, a people who have few opportunities to share their wisdom, their strength, and their dreams with the rest of us.

From this place, the Foundation for African Medicine and Education was born.

For more of the story, see our article in The Lancet.

Board of Directors

Frank Artress, Co-Founder & President
Susan Gustafson, Co-Founder & Vice-President
Jeanne Artress, Secretary/Treasurer
Grahm Pierce, Director
Jack Paddon, Director
Nancy Paddon, Director