OuR ACTIONS

ASF IN THE FIELD

IMPROVE HEALTHCARE CENTERS AND PRACTITIONERS AUTONOMY

Since its creation, ASF’s primary mission has been to improve the autonomy of health practitioners in developing countries by offering basic acupuncture trainings and thus allowing the poorest to access healtchcare, even when medications are limited or inaccessible because they are too rare or too expensive.

In 30 years, hundreds of health practitioners have been trained by our volunteers, and thousands of people can now benefit from this care.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO HUMANITARIAN AID

WHY HUMANITARIAN ACUPUNCTURE?

Medical follow-up remains difficult or even impossible among homeless and migrants.

It’s very difficult, for this population, to complete a medical prescription.

There are frequent rejections of impressive and administratively intrusive hospital structures.

Individual revaluation is facilitated by the nature of acupuncture care.

GUIDED ACTIONS

BY WHAT MEANS?

Our actions in the field take place in several steps:

An exploratory mission after official request for intervention, in order to study the relevance and feasibility of the requested ASF mission
Theoretical and practical training sessions over several years
An exam delivered at the end of the training, with official ASF certificate
A commitment from trained healthcare practitioners to provide free care to poor patients
Provision of educational materials and acupuncture equipment
Regular follow-ups

IN THE FIELD

HOW DOES A MISSION TAKE PLACE?

An ASF mission takes place during several stays, over several months:

1

4 to 5 training sessions from 15 days to 3 weeks + regular follow-up

2

ASF Training sessions are led by professional trainers and practitioners

3

Between 7 and 25 health practitioners trained per mission.

4

Mission cost: between 10 to €20,000 depending on countries and logistical complexity.

Acupuncture treatments requires a personalized approach, with physical contact, followed by several sessions. These caring method contributes to a reconsideration of the person and therefore to his/her reconstruction and resilience.

Philippe Annet – ASF President