Sub-Saharan Africa consists of 48 countries with a combined population of more than 1.2 billion. Uganda and Tanzania are neighbors in East Africa and are low-income countries with rapidly growing populations. Health care is heavily dependent on international donor support, the majority of which is targeted to treating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. There is little to no funding for the prevention and treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular diseases (ischemic heart disease and stroke), the #2 cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases worldwide.
ASAPP-supported project sites provide free screening and counseling for high blood pressure at six churches and at the national mosque in Kampala, Uganda and at three churches in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In addition, ASAPP partners with other community-based organizations to provide free our screening services at health camps throughout Uganda.
