Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about 25% of all disease in the world, yet it has just 3% of the health care

workforce needed to treat it.

There are not enough medical and nursing schools and many of the continent's graduates

are recruited to wealthier countries where health care systems are also understaffed.

Special correspondent, Fred to Sam Lazaro, has a report on one effort to educate African providers who will stay and serve their communities.

It's part of his series, Agents for Change.

They hiked for nearly an hour. A small group of medical students headed to a village not accessible by car.

Their professor accompanied them, but the teacher today was a woman with little formal schooling.

When it comes to health issues in this remote community in northern Rwanda, village health workers like Jean. health problems. Malaria is a big problem here. I am mainly focused on women and

babies. We register all women who are pregnant and all visit them three times

during their pregnancy. After a quick briefing, they were off to the home of a couple expecting their first child.

We do not want students to come in and we seated in front of a patient giving them information that is from a textbook.

Professor Acki Bitalejo says textbooks teach how to treat disease.

On the other hand, real world experience teaches how to treat the patient.

And why a textbook prescription may not work, for example.

They might not be taking their medicines because when they take them on an empty stomach, it pains.

Do you know that they walk up at 4 a.m. to be at your hospital at 8 a.m.

On this day, Jean Mukaru Rangwa used her well-worn illustrated binder

to make sure her patient, Solange Manakarame, got important information to ensure a safe pregnancy.

She emphasized the importance of taking iron pills and eating a healthy diet, though that is not easy off a small plot of land and daily wage work

when available.

In such extreme poverty, it's not easy for people to afford meat, but I tell them to get eggs or milk, which they can afford.

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