History

African Mission Healthcare: Our Story

Medical missionary, Dr. Jon Fielder, co-founded African Mission Healthcare in 2010 with good friend Mark Gerson, a Jewish entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist who saw the incredible value of Christian medical missionaries and mission hospitals.

The two had collaborated to improve health care for the African poor since Jon completed training at Johns Hopkins Hospital and first went to Africa in 2002. This partnership continued when the Fielders moved to Malawi. Throughout these efforts, Mark, his wife Erica, and Jon continued to believe that more could be done. They recognized that mission hospitals provide 1/3 of all medical care in Africa—as well as a large part of the health worker training. They also recognized the support for these important institutions was steadily waning, leaving a huge unmet need on the continent.

They perceived that filling the gap and investing in medical missionaries and mission hospitals in Africa offered the potential for an incredible return on their investments. Of course, they weren’t looking for a financial return. Instead, their goal was to sustainably change the quality of lives through improved access to quality, compassionate healthcare. This led them to launch African Mission Healthcare.

Thanks to Jon’s and Mark’s leadership AMH and its impact continue to expand. Since formation, AMH has invested more than $30 million in training, clinical care, and infrastructure projects with more than 45 mission hospital partners. These investments have supported direct care for more than 670,000 patients and will enable more than 9.8 million future patient visits. 

As a medical missionary, Jon served as both a SIM and AIM missionary. Jon’s clinical contributions have been in the areas of HIV and tuberculosis, and he has trained many physician assistants and nurses in these fields. Jon and his family live in Kijabe, Kenya where he currently serves as AMH’s Chief Executive and works part-time as an infectious disease physician at Maua Methodist Hospital.