In Africa’s demanding health landscape, partnerships are not optional, they are essential.

As Rotary Family Health Days (RFHD) prepare to serve communities in Kagiso, South Africa on 5–6 March, Rotary Action Group for Family Health & AIDS Prevention (RFHA) continues to strengthen its collaboration with Gift of the Givers Foundation, one of the country’s most trusted humanitarian organization. 

In February 2026, RFHA and Gift of the Givers formalized this relationship through the signing of an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), establishing Gift of the Givers as an implementing partner in South Africa.

This partnership is not symbolic. It is practical, operational, and built to deliver.

Gift of the Givers Foundation: A Humanitarian Force with Local Credibility

Founded in 1992 by Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, Gift of the Givers has grown into the largest disaster-response NGO of African origin. Over 30+ years, they have distributed more than R6 billion in aid across 47 countries, spanning disaster response, healthcare, hunger alleviation, water provision, education and more.

RFHA has maintained a 14-year partnership with the South African government, the only national-level Rotary partnership in the country. Maintaining this relationship is essential, and requires dependable field partners.

As RFHA Inc CEO Sue Paget describes, “My priority is to preserve our long-standing relationship with national government. To do that, we need implementing partners who are reliable, respected and aligned with our mission and Gift of the Givers brings exactly that.”

Gift of the Givers strengthens the RFHD model by providing operational stability, credibility and additional resources, particularly in areas where local Rotary capacity is limited.

Their contributions have included:

• articulated trucks with food and hygiene packs
• professional audiology teams
• menstrual-health supplies
• optometry services
• mobile health support
• teams of 25+ trained personnel on-site

These additions significantly elevate the scope and quality of RFHD services.

"In South Africa, the challenge is not only disease. It is distance, poverty, overburdened clinics and people waiting too long before they are seen. When we bring services together in one place, HIV screening, TB testing, optometry, audiology, menstrual health support, we remove barriers. We make care easier to access and we restore dignity. Integrated healthcare is not optional here. It is essential," said Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, Founder, Gift of the Givers. 

Transforming Health Days into High-Impact Outreach

RFHA’s program Rotary Family Health Days already deliver critical services like HIV screening, TB screening, maternal health among others. Gift of the Givers enhances this model by strengthening logistics, expanding clinical offerings and attracting new funding through their strong corporate networks.

The result is a health-day access program that is more resilient, more responsive and more impactful. 

A partnership between RFHA’s community-health framework and Gift of the Givers humanitarian infrastructure creates a pathway to reach even more underserved communities across Africa.

"No single organisation can close the healthcare gaps in this country. Government carries an enormous responsibility. But the scale of need requires supporting partners to strengthen that effort. When we combine logistics, medical teams, funding and community networks, the impact multiplies. Pooling both material resources and service capacity allows us to reach communities sooner and provide more comprehensive care," shared Dr. Imtiaz. 

The upcoming RFHD in Kagiso on 5–6 March will once again demonstrate what this partnership makes possible: integrated services delivered efficiently, respectfully and at scale. For communities facing long travel distances, overburdened clinics or financial barriers to care, these two days can mean early diagnosis, treatment initiation, referral and sometimes,  life-changing intervention.