<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img src="/nairobi/PublishingImages/German%20government%20grant%20body.jpg" alt="" style="margin: 5px;"/>
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><strong><em>Pictorial Caption: </em></strong><em>From left to right, Dr Shawn Bolouki, Vice President for Health Services at Aga Khan University & CEO, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Mr Al-Karim Haji, Vice President, Finance & Chief Financial Officer of the Aga Khan University and Mr Oskar Von Maltzan, Regional Director of KfW Kenya and Somalia, at the signing ceremony of the Ksh. 720 million COVID-19 grant. The grant from the German Government will boost the COVID-19 response of AKUHN and Aga Khan Hospitals in Mombasa, Kisumu and Dar es Salaam and support the public health system with PPEs and testing kits. Accompanying them are, from left Dr Carl Amrhein, Provost of the Aga Khan University, Dr Azim Lakhani, the Aga Khan Development Network Resident Representative to Kenya, Mr Marius Rauh, Deputy Head of Development Cooperation at BMZ and Ms Jane Wanyama, the CEO of Aga Khan Hospital Kisumu.</em>
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH,N) and the Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa have received a Ksh. 720 million grant from the German Government to boost their COVID-19 response and support the public health system. The grant offered by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW) will enable the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi and the Aga Khan Hospitals in Kisumu, Mombasa and Dar es Salaam to increase their COVID-19 preparedness and response and support the public health system with testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPEs) in order to improve diagnostic and safety capacities.
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“The German Government has committed additional funds to its Partners in order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. KfW has a longstanding partnership with the Aga Khan University in East Africa. We are delighted that, thanks to this cooperation, we have been able to jointly facilitate this project in order to provide quick and effective support to health facilities in the region", said Christoph Tiskens, Director Eastern Africa & Africa Union of KfW Development Bank.
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Throughout the pandemic, we have partnered with the Government of Kenya in various ways and this grant will ensure that we can increase our support to the government and improve our response to this pandemic by easing the burden on the public health system," said Dr. Shawn Bolouki, Vice President of Health Services at Aga Khan University and the Chief Executive Officer at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, our Hospitals in Kenya and Tanzania have put in place a robust response strategy that enables us to respond to the pandemic, provide quality care to COVID-19 patients while ensuring that our regular patients continue to receive their normal care safely. This support will enable us expand our response," added Dr. Bolouki. A part of the grant will go to the COVID-19 Patient Welfare Fund that supports needy patients to receive quality care.
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“The Aga Khan University, as part of the Aga Khan Development Network, has a long standing and valued co-operation with the German Government. The Network appreciates the support, encouragement, confidence and trust provided by the German Government. With this support from BMZ/KfW, the Aga Khan Hospitals in the region will expand their COVID-19 preparedness and response and will also support the running of the field hospital at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, said Al-Karim Haji, Vice President, Finance & Chief Financial Officer of the Aga Khan University.
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><strong>About KFW Development Bank</strong>
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">KfW is one of the world's leading and most experienced promotional banks. Established as a public law institution in 1948, the German Federal Government has an 80% stake and the German federal states have a 20% stake in the bank. KfW Development Bank carries out Financial Cooperation (FC) projects with developing countries on behalf of the German Federal Government. The 1,003 employees in the Head Office and 409 experts in 68 regional offices cooperate with partners all over the world. The objective is to combat poverty, secure peace, protect the environment and the climate as well as ensure fair globalisation. KfW is a competent and strategic adviser for current development policy issues.
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><strong>About Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi</strong>
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For over 60 years, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi has set the standard for comprehensive healthcare and modern medical education in East Africa. Our dedicated staff, advanced facilities and state-of-the-art technologies have earned the hospital great reputation as a leading medical institution and teaching hospital in the region, and beyond.
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><strong>Aga Khan University</strong>
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Aga Khan University empowers the people of the developing world with the knowledge and skills to realize their highest goals. We provide a transformative education that prepares our graduates for local and global leadership. We generate solutions to problems that affect millions of people through pioneering research.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We strive to achieve world-class excellence, inspiring individuals and institutions to meet the highest standards. Because everyone deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential, we serve the disadvantaged and work where the need is greatest. Together with our partners, AKU builds bridges across borders and boundaries of all kinds, recognizing that humanity's diversity is one of its greatest assets.
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><strong>About Aga Khan Health Services</strong>
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa is one of the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) that support activities in health. It operates high-quality ISO 9001 certified hospitals in Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Kisumu, including state-of-the-art diagnostic services.
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