MIDRAS

Brazilian venture capital firm Midras funds projects in the health industry in the African nation of Angola. A socially responsible company committed to increasing the well-being of Angolans, Midras provides funding for numerous public health projects throughout the nation. The firm also establishes and operates hospitals and clinics in the impoverished country.

Angola ended a 27-year civil war in 2002, leaving a devastated infrastructure; Midras seeks to help fill the need for quality healthcare that has been lacking in the country for decades. To that end, Midras provides support for several projects, including Projeto GAPA, Projeto Sorriso, and Projeto Uhayele.

Projeto GAPA (Group of Friends for Angola) is active in the Angolan province of Luanda. The project seeks to improve access to medical care and prescription medicine. Among the many goals of the Midras-supported project are increasing patient/doctor contact and reducing the instance of endemic disease, such as malaria and parasitic infections. In combating malaria, the project established seven mobile units in the province, providing lab space and rooms for consultations with doctors.

Projeto Sorriso was started by the company Amosmid, with donations from Midras. The project focuses on children from five to 12 and promotes oral health awareness. Projeto Sorriso engages children and their parents and distributes oral hygiene kits which include a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a flyer on the proper care of teeth. With the support of Midras, the project works with the province's Health Department, and has benefited over 90,000 children since 2009.

Backed by Midras, Projeto Uhayele has assisted nearly 30,000 families improve their health. The program focuses on problems that pose the greatest risk to an individual's health, such as malaria, respiratory infections, maternal health, and diarrhea. Treating and preventing deadly disease is at the heart of Midras' mission.