Folaranmi Adeoye
Health Philanthropy Associate
Meet our gap closer of the month, Folaranmi Adeoye, Health Philanthropy Associate. Folaranmi shares his work at the Foundation and what he finds most rewarding about it. “It is satisfying to know that many people will have access to quality healthcare services and experience better health outcomes because of the projects that we undertake.”
Please share your educational and professional background
I hold a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Ilorin, and I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. My career began at the Kwara State Ministry of Health where I worked with the State Epidemiologist. There, I had the opportunity to work with stakeholders at the State, LGA and community levels contributing to the capacity building of health workers, increasing the uptake of immunisation, and improving access to primary healthcare services. I’ve worked with other organisation such as Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, AFENET, and eHealth Systems Africa on programmes and projects that have had a direct impact on the health outcomes of Nigerians.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the development sector?
The development sector provides the opportunity to contribute to the well-being of communities and address various societal issues while allowing innovative thinking and creative problem-solving. This served as the best source of inspiration for me to pursue a career in the development sector. Learning about the Foundation and its work in public sector reforms and primary healthcare in Nigeria and Africa added greatly to that.
What do you do at the Foundation?
I work as a Health Philanthropy Associate. This means I work with the health philanthropy team that oversees the Foundation’s health philanthropy initiatives such as the Adopt-A-Healthcare-Facility-Program (ADHFP).
What does your typical day look like?
A typical day for me involves a mix of completing tasks, reading through emails and taking necessary actions, attending meetings with identified organisations for potential partnership, looking through my unit’s workplan for the year to see what items are to be attended to. I also take some time for personal development (which could be taking courses or even having 30mins-1hr break away from all gadgets).
What makes the work that we do at the Foundation unique?
Closing the gap between Africa and the rest of the world- that is a bold statement, and that’s exactly what we are committed to at the Foundation. This is the mindset we bring forth in every project we embark on. What could be more unique than that?
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
The lives of individuals and communities are being touched. It is satisfying to know that many people will have access to quality healthcare services and experience better health outcomes because of the projects that we undertake.