Where We Work – The ARC4Health

At the core of The Africa Research Collaborative for Health (The ARC 4 Health) is a dedicated team committed to improving health outcomes through rigorous scientific research and community-centered approaches. The organization is led by a group of senior scientists with deep expertise in public health, laboratory science, socio-behavioral research, implementation science and advocacy/policy change. These leaders work alongside multidisciplinary teams to design and execute research that addresses the most pressing health challenges in theAfrica region.

The ARC 4 Health currently operates in Freetown, Makeni, and Bo – three key urban and regional centers in Sierra Leone. Each location serves as a hub for integrated programs that combine laboratory research, disease surveillance, implementation science, and community engagement. By working directly within these communities, The ARC 4 Health ensures that its research is contextually grounded, responsive to local health needs, and impactful at both the local and national levels. Through this place-based approach, The ARC 4 Health is building sustainable partnerships and creating evidence-driven solutions that strengthen health systems and improve lives across Sierra Leone.

Our Projects

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Safe+Natal intervention

This is a collaboration with the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Emory University. Safe+Natal offers low-cost monitoring and support for key complications during pregnancy and birth. Based on a human-centered approach to cutting-edge technology, Safe+Natal promotes culturally sensitive maternal care and maximizes health system resources. In Sierra Leone, we are implementing Safe+Natal approach in four health facilities in Bombali District.https://safenatal.org/

Sickle Cell Matrix Study

In collaboration with the University of South Florida, we are re-testing 1,000 post-mortem samples from stillbirths and under-five deaths, as a first step to evaluating the populaiton prevalence of sickle cell disease, a know hemoglobinopathy with uncertain prevalence in our setting;

https://health.usf.edu/nursing/research/researchers/cheedy-jaja

The CHAMPS Project

As one of 9 countries, we are part of the CHAMPS network

Health and Demographic Health Survey (HDSS):

In the context of high child and maternal mortality rates in Sierra Leone, policy makers often lack granular health and demographic information for multi-year planning and resource allocation. Beginning from 2022, the first HDSS in Sierra Leone is being implemented by The ARC and its partners, to better understand the social, economic and environmental drivers of morbidity and mortality. By making these data available to the Ministry of Health and Statistics Sierra Leone, we hope to catalyze concrete action to improve health and mortality at the population level.

Pregnancy Surveillance

In spite of documented high uptake of antenatal care (ANC) services in Sierra Leone, maternal mortality improvements still lag expectations. By registering women prior to 20 weeks of pregnancy, our team supports expectant mothers with recognizing danger signs and linking them to care, while documenting all pregnancy outcomes, especially those that would have been missed by the medical establishment. The pregnancy surveillance platform lends itself to future socio-economic and clinical interventions to improve maternal health in Sierra Leone;

Data to Action

Since 2020, the CHAMPS site in Sierra Leone continues to invest in efforts to ensure that our surveillance and laboratory research findings link directly to the efforts of the MOH to reduce perinatal and under-five mortality. Through community engagements, community radio and drama programs, food demonstrations, community backyard gardening, streamlining of revenue collection systems at the secondary hospital and direct equipment and mentoring support to peripheral healthcare units (PHUs), our team continues to invest their passion in translating our research findings directly into action at the family, community, district and national levels.

Our Network

CHAMPS operates in 9 countries – Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and South Africa – with a Program Office in the US.