African Family Health Organization (AFAHO)
Title: Pathways to Empowerment: A Multifaceted Approach to Supporting African Immigrants in Philadelphia
Student Interns:
Shumoos Abdelrahman
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Lila Williams
New York University, Grossman School of Medicine
Academic Preceptor:
Hillary R. Bogner, MD, MSCE
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
Donald L. Boyer, MD, MSEd
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Abby Quinn Peterson, DMD, MPH
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Elizabeth Powell, DDS, MPH
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Community Preceptor:
Jazmine Hammond
African Family Health Organization
Emmanuel Oyelami, MS, MBA
African Family Health Organization
Community Site:
The African Family Health Organization (AFAHO), located in West Philadelphia, is a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of African and Afro-Caribbean immigrant and refugee (ACIR) communities. Its mission is to create a cultural and linguistic bridge between clients and healthcare, social services, and educational opportunities. Using a peer support model, AFAHO employs staff from the communities it serves to provide culturally responsive care navigation, case management, health and language education, and youth enrichment to address multifaceted barriers to well-being in Philadelphia’s ACIR communities.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps interns spent the summer contributing to AFAHO’s many initiatives under the mentorship of program managers. They helped plan youth enrichment experiences with the Education Department, including a tour at Haverford College and a youth summer camp. With AFAHO’s ESL instructor, Shumoos helped develop a curriculum for a “Health Talks” series, through which students learned about relevant medical topics. In collaboration with Philabundance and its social services team, the interns distributed bags of fresh produce biweekly for community members. They also supported AFAHO’s Health navigation efforts by developing a dental and vision care resource guide. The BTG interns spent much of the summer doing community outreach in the West Philadelphia area, distributing flyers, pamphlets, and posters in neighborhoods and businesses to promote AFAHO’s events, services, and educational programs.
Reflections
This summer I gained an even greater appreciation for the role community organizations play in uplifting vulnerable populations and filling existing gaps in current public infrastructure. Because of its cultural connections, AFAHO is uniquely positioned to support the African community by bridging members to essential health, social, and educational resources. As a dental professional, I intend to primarily work with underserved populations, especially recent immigrants and refugees. The time I spent with AFAHO highlighted challenges that continue to face this community, including the linguistic, financial, and environmental barriers that limit access to dental care. My understanding of these health determinants has deepened through conversations with community members, presenting opportunities for future intervention.
Shumoos Abdelrahman
Working with AFAHO this summer, I learned that improving the health of our vulnerable neighbors requires more than creating free and low-cost services—it requires effective outreach that leverages trusted relationships. Going forward, I will employ this lesson when creating community-based health interventions, harnessing the networks of local institutions including churches, mosques, schools, and neighborhood associations to enhance my impact. Additionally, through conversations with AFAHO’s Health Navigators, I learned about the challenges involved in case management, particularly when clients don’t take advantage of available resources to improve their health and well-being. With this challenge in mind, I aim to develop into a clinician who strives to understand the realities faced by my clients to make recommendations that fit into their individual contexts.
Lila Williams
