Bridging the Gap in Global Healthcare – My Journey as an Intern and a Volunteer
Bethlehem is a dedicated GP from Ethiopia and digital communications volunteer at Medical Aid Films who is contributing to narrowing the health gap worldwide. As we celebrate International Health Day, she shares her inspiring journey, which began during her internship at one of Ethiopia’s top hospitals in 2021, and highlights how patient stories have inspired…
In my recent trip to Kenya, I saw how educational films can help improve maternal nutrition
Helen Coombe, Head of Evaluation and Research. Good nutrition is core to the well-being of women and children. It underpins longer-term child development and broader health outcomes both during pregnancy and early infancy. In my recent trip to Kenya, I met with a range of organisations to explore how educational films can help parents learn…
“I am keen to change the ways that midwives are treated and restore dignity to our profession”
90% of the nursing and midwifery workforce are women, according to medical journal Lancet. To celebrate International Women’s Day, we asked midwife volunteer Anaghim Ghnimi to share her story and her dreams for the future. My name is Anaghim Ghnimi and I am a full-time medical representative and a part-time volunteer midwife from Tunisia. Growing…
Narrowing the Health Gap
Did you know that nearly half the planet cannot reach any healthcare service within one hour by foot? That’s a whopping 3.16 billion people forced to travel long distances to access adequate healthcare! (Nature, 2022). Since 2007, Medical Aid Films has been part of the solution. We work with our partners to produce high quality…
Breaking the Stigma Around Childhood Cancer
More than 400,000 children and adolescents are affected by cancer every year worldwide, yet childhood cancer still remains an unknown condition in many households. This International Childhood Cancer Day, we’re raising awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and effective treatment so that every child and adolescent can have the best chance in life. Childhood…
Stronger-SAFE: sharing project successes to reduce the effects of trachoma in Ethiopia
We’re delighted to share today two Stronger-SAFE films to reduce trachoma and blindness in Ethiopia. The films show the experiences of people involved in, and benefits of, the Stronger-SAFE trachoma trial, a five-year project run by an interdisciplinary team from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Ethiopian Ministry of Health, The Fred Hollows…
Send us your best offers for our second hand filming equipment
As we enter the holiday season, we would like to give you the opportunity to become the proud owner of some of our fabulous second hand camera equipment! Though the equipment has had some wear from documenting our incredible work over the years, it is still in great condition and ready for a new owner…
Educational films increased maternal and newborn health knowledge in remote regions in Nepal, research finds
New research published on Women’s Health and conducted by One Heart Worldwide and Medical Aid Films shows that socio-culturally adapted educational films increased maternal and newborn health knowledge in pregnant women and female community health volunteers in Nepal’s Khotang district. For the study, researchers interviewed 101 pregnant women and 39 Female Community Health Volunteers from…
A New Raising Voices and Medical Aid Films Collaboration: Films Addressing Positive Discipline Techniques for Parents
Ugandan non-profit Raising Voices and Medical Aid Films launched Positive Discipline, a film that encourages parents to correct poor behaviour in a way that’s safe for children and enhances their development. Through its story-driven narrative, this short impactful film models the use of positive discipline techniques to promote respect and encouragement of children in a…
Making a Difference – Medical Aid Films wins award for outstanding research
Medical Aid Films has won the ESOMAR Foundation’s Making a Difference Award, which recognises charities using outstanding research to make a positive difference in society. The award recognises how research findings have been used to develop new digital health content for an adolescent health screening project, and to influence local practice in a rural area…
Choosing Contraception – Young Zambians Decide For Themselves
Today, 1st of September, Medical Aid Films launches “Choosing Contraception”, an educational film where young Zambians encourage their peers to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. The film is the first of a series created in partnership with the Ministry of Health in Zambia and non-profit SAfAIDS, and is a part of our…
“Medical Aid Films was like a little plant full of promise. Now it’s a big tree in good heath”
Catherine McCarthy, CEO at Medical Aid Films The last few weeks have seen some significant changes at Medical Aid Films! We have been incredibly lucky to have Mickey De Lathauwer on our Board of Trustees since the organisation started nearly 15 years ago, and, for the last few years, he has been our Board Chair. Mickey has provided us with inspiring…
Vaccines for all: new collaboration aims to increase vaccine uptake worldwide
Medical Aid Films is proud to have joined forces with CORE group to launch two new projects that promote higher levels of vaccination worldwide. Vaccines mean life It’s estimated that 12.4 million children around the world haven’t received any routine vaccines. These children, often referred to as “zero-dose”, have a higher risk of dying of…
Volunteer placements support overseas communities and improve the NHS, says the Tropical Health & Education Trust
Our latest film follows the story of Dr. Helen Newsom, a paediatric registrar at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, and her experiences volunteering at Zambia’s Matero Hospital. This week (4 – 8 April) is World Health Worker Week, an opportunity for organisations around the world to celebrate and draw attention to the needs of health…
Medical Aid Films launch multilingual films to encourage COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the UK
Medical Aid Films have produced new films and animations in English, Bengali and Arabic to support doctors to encourage COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the UK. The films focus on the efficacy of the vaccine and encourage underserved communities to speak to their local NHS services if they have any concerns. Currently only 64.8% of the…
Colouring the Narrative: raising awareness of colourism in India through film
Today we are releasing three new animations to raise awareness of colourism and the skin-lightening industry in India. Colourism is the concept that lighter skin is more desirable and that having lighter skin will lead to more success. The films bring attention to the serious public health problem of colourism and the skin-lightening industry in…
New animation aiding Cameroon caregivers to prevent infection in hospitals
A new animation produced by Medical Aid Films will be part of infection prevention and control measures to help orientate caregivers in Cameroonian hospitals. In most hospitals in Cameroon, personal care such as feeding and cleaning of some patients is done by caregivers, often family or loved ones. Without effective training and support, caregivers may…
The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2021 is here!
The year’s biggest match-funding event is here from Tuesday 30th November to Tuesday 7th December – and your donation will make a huge difference. Our Big Give Christmas Challenge aims to raise money to help us translate, adapt and digitally disseminate our health content to more people. We want to increase access to our films…
Improving health literacy through film
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, I had no problems understanding the information about the disease on television, in the news, and on the internet. I took this for granted – everything was produced in English, my native language. I could easily understand the instructions of washing my hands for 20 seconds, wearing…
Sheida Kiran: Global Short Docs Forum
In August 2021, Medical Aid Films Production Coordinator Sheida Kiran spent a month living with tea picking women on the Black Sea Coast in Turkey to film her master’s final project. Now she is embarking on intensive programme which will prepare her to pitch her film to a panel of Commissioning Editors, thanks to One…
Annual Review film 2020
While the world paused, we pressed play. Watch our Annual Review film to see what we achieved in 2020.
SCREEN: Working with audiences
Steven Zarnfaller, our UK Project Manager, talks about the people whose stories make SCREEN what it is.
SCREEN: Assessing Our Work
Helen Coombe, our Head of Monitoring and Evaluation, outlines the five key stages in our SCREEN evaluation plan.
Introduction to SCREEN
Our SCREEN Project Manager, Steven Zarnfaller, introduces the project and what we aim to achieve with it over the coming months.
A Brighter Future
Today on World Childrens Day, we launch “A Brighter Future” series: four animated films, made in partnership with Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which will support children at centres run by the Foundation’s partners and help them make positive steps towards the future.
COVID-19 UK Community films: social media toolkit
Medical Aid Films, supported by the British Medical Association, has created a COVID-19 animation providing valuable information for communities in the UK.
Serenje Film Screening Research Project – Exploring the gender-specific impact of educational film on maternal and child health in rural Zambia.
Medical Aid Films is pleased to present our latest research paper ‘Exploring the gender-specific impact of educational films on maternal and child health knowledge and behavior: a qualitative study in Serenje district, Zambia’, recently published in the International Quarterly of Community Health Education (IQCHE).
Volunteering with MAF: Caroline Heuschen
Caroline Heuschen is a medical doctor, training in psychiatry, and has been volunteering with Medical Aid Films since October 2019. In this short read she runs through her experiences of volunteering for us and what she has learned so far.
July Staff Spotlight: Meet Ashley Yonga
The Staff Spotlight is a new monthly feature for you to get to know the incredible people behind Medical Aid Films. This month, meet our Volunter Research Assistant; Ashley Yonga.
Medical Aid Films & VSO host Men’s Engagement event in House of Commons
To mark International Women’s Day 2020, Medical Aid Films was delighted to collaborate with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) in March to host an event in the House of Common exploring men’s engagement in maternal and child health.
Clean your Hands – Hand Washing training
Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is one of the first lines of defence against Coronavirus infection. Medical Aid Films has two educational films available in multiple languages on hand-washing best practice for both communities and health workers.
VR technologies and the potential of immersive storytelling for change
Medical Aid Films explores the latest in virtual and augmented reality…
Medical Aid Films announced as finalist for two upcoming industry awards
We’re in the running for best “Production Company” and “Small NGO Award” – find out more…
How much do you know about Zika?
Medical Aid Films has been proud to work in partnership with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) to produce an interactive quiz and short film, Hope After Zika.
Medical Aid Films joins Christmas Challenge aiming to double supporters’ gifts
We’re gearing up to double supporters’ Christmas donations by taking part in the UK’s biggest match funding campaign, The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge 2019.
New film tells the story of the journey from research to practice for self-injectable contraception in Malawi.
We are thrilled to announce that “The Power of Self-injectable Contraception” is now available for free download.
Film series helps babies with respiratory problems breathe
Set of 13 training films available for streaming and download made by our partner Picturing Health – created to train teams looking after premature babies with severe respiratory distress.
TV Dr Michael Mosley interviewed by Patron Anne Morrison at Chelsea Physic Garden event
London’s historic garden was the setting for TV Dr Michael Mosley’s evening talk on “Food, Medicine & Media” with film as a potentially powerful tool in global health education.
New Partnership extends our library of content to include HIV paediatric case study films
A new partnership with Picturing Health is providing a suite of films for use in HIV education. 13 films and accompanying notes are available for free download.
Founder Professor Eric Jauniaux reflects on Medical Aid Films’ development
Accepting the “Most Enterprising Charity” Award on behalf of Medical Aid Films Founder Eric Jauniaux writes about the charity’s beginnings.
‘Keji Counts’ screens at the Women Deliver Film Festival 2019
Keji Counts is being shown at the Women Deliver Conference in Vancouver this year.
Medical Aid Films wins prestigious “Most Enterprising Charity” Award
We’ve won the Most Enterprising category at The Asian Voice Charity Awards powered by Charity Clarity.
Improving community health messaging: Acholi films
Part of a project improving the maternal, newborn and child health in Uganda our 8 films translated into Acholi are now available for free download.
Acholi Films assist mother to identify complications in pregnancy
Medical Aid Films translation of “Understanding Warning Signs in Pregnancy” into Acholi assists Ugandan mother to identify complications in her own pregnancy.
World Malaria Day – 25th April 2019
Our films are empowering communities to address their own malaria prevention and care.
Translating knowledge, transforming health
Partnership with Bethel Computers for Education delivers a suite of four films translated for communities in Haiti.
Inspirational Women Inspiring Change – #IWD2019
Celebrating the extraordinary women working to improve global health through educational films.
Hope Walks: Freedom from Clubfoot
Pre-production starts on new educational films in partnership with Hope Walks to help with training, awareness raising & the early detection of clubfoot.
The Network of Safety – Saving the Lives of Mothers and Newborns in Rural Nepal
Our partnership with One Heart World-Wide has produced a suite of educational films aiming to reduce the risk of maternal and neonatal mortality in Nepal.
Our 2018 Showreel
Watch our 2018 showreel showing how we’ve been using innovative media to transform global health and wellbeing over the last year.
Workshop: Reaching Men Through Health Films
Medical Aid Films is running a workshop for maternal and child health professionals/health promotion professionals in Lusaka, Zambia.
Watch Badra’s story – training midwives using film
With over 30 films in Somali, the work of Medical Aid Films supports the training, continued development and e-learning of nurses and midwives. Badra is one of them.
Why Sophie Supports our BBC Radio 4 Appeal
When recording our appeal earlier this month, Sophie Ellis-Bextor told us why she supports Medical Aid Films.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor lends her voice to Medical Aid Films’ BBC Appeal.
Singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor joined us this week at BBC Broadcasting House to record the script for our upcoming appeal.
Our BBC Radio 4 Appeal – taking to the airwaves
Listen up! BBC Radio 4 Appeal to feature Medical Aid Films in October.
Giving Tuesday – Yoga in the Fields
What is Giving Tuesday? Tuesday 28th of November, following Black Friday, has been coined as ‘Giving Tuesday’ by the media, large corporates and charities. Everyone is encouraged to partake in charitable activities and fundraise for worthy causes. This is the first year we will be celebrating Giving Tuesday and are running a fundraiser in our local area so would…
New animations from our participatory film workshop, part of the ground-breaking Girls’ Education South Sudan Programme
Our latest films are part of a ground-breaking education programme in South Sudan, where girls’ lives are being transformed by access to education, in a country where on-going conflict continues to have a devastating effect on schooling and the education sector. Working with Mott MacDonald’s UK Aid funded programme, Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS), Medical…
Watch our first 360/VR film!
360/VR films are providing us with new and immersive experiences, changing the way we see the world. We are excited to share our first 360/VR film. Shot in rural Zambia, the film documents our work with the Ministry of Health running community health screenings over the past two years. For the first time ever, we are able to take…
10th Anniversary celebrations at BAFTA 195 and brand new Showreel
On Monday 11th September we celebrated our 10th Anniversary at the incredible BAFTA 195 Piccadilly venue. The night saw 140 guests join us to fill the fabulous David Lean room, celebrating 10 years of saving lives through film. We were delighted to welcome renowned film director and long-term Patron Gurinder Chadha OBE, well-known actors Helen George and…
A new film empowering girls and women with knowledge about menstruation
Having a period is a natural process and part of normal life for girls and women. However for many girls’ their journey into adolescence can be challenging and they may face significant pressures and stigma. Filmed in Kibera, Kenya, our new film provides an overview of menstruation and the processes that occur during puberty. The…
New film celebrating the vital role of midwives globally
International Day of the Midwife celebrates the vital role midwives play in supporting women around the world through their pregnancy and childbirth. In many parts of the world however, there is an increased medicalisation of pregnancy and childbirth, with some women experiencing unnecessary treatments and procedures that can have negative effects on both the mother…
Transforming malaria health education using mobile animation in Zimbabwe
Half the population of Zimbabwe live in areas with a high risk of malaria transmission. In response to the need for improved awareness about the disease, we have been working with Econet Wireless on an innovative project to reach health workers and communities with vital information – on their mobile phones. With over 9 million subscribers,…
Girls’ Education South Sudan – Inspire. Educate. Transform.
Our latest film showcases a ground-breaking education programme in South Sudan, where girls’ lives are being transformed by access to education, in a country where ongoing conflict continues to have a devastating effect on schooling and the education sector. South Sudan is one of the toughest places on earth to be a girl in 2017. Famine has…
A new film about safety in fistula surgery
Obstetric fistula is one of the most devastating and serious injuries that can occur during childbirth. It affects between 50,000 and 100,000 women each year, mainly in low-income countries, and it is estimated that more than 2 million women live with untreated fistula in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Women who experience obstetric fistula not…
We’re celebrating 10 years of transforming lives through film
2017 is a very special year for us at Medical Aid Films as we celebrate our 10th anniversary. During the year we will be reflecting on what we have achieved, sharing stories of our work and its impact around the world, and revealing some exciting plans for the future. But first, we would like to…
Watch our 2016 show reel
We are so excited to share our brand new show reel showcasing some of our work in 2016. We have some very exciting plans for next year (our 10th Anniversary) which we cannot wait to share with you all in early 2017. Please help us continue to transform more lives through the power of film,…
A new film about our collaboration with The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Women’s access to family planning and safe abortion care services is a real and current global health problem. 225 million women who want to delay or prevent pregnancy have no access to family planning globally and there are 22 million unsafe abortions each year. The majority of these women live in under-resourced countries and more…
Read our Annual Review 2015 to see how we’re transforming lives through film
Medical Aid Films is a unique organisation bringing together health and medical expertise with creative film makers, in response to the global crisis in women’s and child health.
Somaliland – SLNMA
Helping to rebuild the health system in Somaliland The Somaliland Nursing and Midwifery Association, is helping to change the health care system in Somaliland. This autonomous region in Somalia has among the highest rates of maternal and child mortality in the world. The health infrastructure was destroyed by civil war, with doctors and nurses having…
In the recording studio with Her Excellency Toyin Saraki!
We were thrilled to be recording today with Her Excellency Toyin Saraki, for our new film A Midwife Like Me – which we are producing in collaboration with the International Confederation of Midwives. This film will celebrate the role of midwives around the world and the importance of normal birth. Midwives play such an invaluable role in…
Films in new languages for health worker training in Nigeria
We are delighted to launch a suite of 11 maternal and child health films in two new languages – Yoruba and Hausa – to support the development an innovative health worker training programme in Nigeria. This programme uses a tablet-based curriculum, developed with InStrat Global Health Solutions, Digital Campus, mPowering Frontline Health Workers and Ondo…
New films about diabetes in pregnancy
Diabetes is considered to be the biggest global health crisis faced today. Around 422 million adults live with the condition, resulting in 1.5 million deaths per year, and these numbers are expected to double in the next 20 years. But one type of diabetes that often goes unrecognized is gestational diabetes, which develops in pregnancy and…
A new partnership to transform health worker training in Nigeria
Medical Aid Films, in partnership with InStrat Global Health Solutions, Digital Campus and mPowering Frontline Health Workers, are working with Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Board, to launch a new tablet-based maternal and child health training curriculum for nurses, midwives, and community health workers in Ondo State, Nigeria. The 12-week pilot programme supports in-service…
What is an obstructed labour? Watch our training film for midwives
Obstructed labour is one of the most common causes of death during childbirth in developing countries. Labour is considered obstructed when the baby cannot descend through the pelvis, despite strong uterine contractions, which leads to wide-ranging and dangerous complications for both the mother and newborn. Medical Aid Films is delighted to launch Obstructed Labour: An…
Watch how film is being used to help measure warning signs in pregnancy
Congratulations to researchers from King’s College London, whose Microlife Vital Signs Alert (VSA) device has been nominated as one of 30 ‘high-impact innovations to save lives’ in Reimagining Global Health, the inaugural report of the Innovation Countdown 2030 initiative. The Microlife VSA is the world’s first medical device to detect shock and high blood pressure…
New films in Kinyarwanda
We are excited to launch two films in Kinyarwanda this week. Is your child sick? (covering symptoms of malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia in children) and What pregnant women need to eat (covering nutrition in pregnancy to support the health of mother and baby) are the first of our films to be dubbed in this language,…
How can film transform lives? Watch our showreel
Watch now for a glimpse of some of the films we’ve produced in the last year. Well, what a year it’s been! We’ve produced 30 new films this year – films about respectful maternity care, puberty, and fistula nursing care – and in new languages such as Bemba, Luganda and Kinyarwanda. They’ve been watched over a million…
Gurinder Chadha on Radio 4
Where can you hear The Clash and Bally Sagoo uttered in the same sentence? On Desert Island Discs of course, where Gurinder Chadha – writer, film director and Patron of Medical Aid Films – was discussing her life and musical influences this morning. Click here to hear Gurinder talking about her background and growing up…
Caring for women with fistula. Watch our training film for nurses
Fistula is a devastating condition caused by childbirth, affecting an estimated 1 million women worldwide – it causes constant leaking of urine and faeces, which leads to shame and social stigma, and other health complications. Women with fistula are often outcast from their families and communities, and live in desperate isolation suffering from the physical…
