Gifts in Wills
Leaving a Gift to Amref in your Will is a special way to show your support for lasting health change in Africa.
Why leave a gift in your will?
Today, 615 million people in Africa still cannot access the healthcare that they need. This is unacceptable.
We believe health is a basic human right, and our goal is simple: Universal Health Coverage by 2030. We will keep working until everyone in Africa has access to affordable, good-quality healthcare, but we cannot do this without your help.
None of us should grow up without access to healthcare, and by leaving a gift in your Will to Amref, the next generation won’t have to. Your legacy is more important today than ever before.
What is a legacy gift?
A legacy is a gift that you leave to an individual or charity (or both) in your Will.
Legacies in Wills explained
When you write a Will, you'll be asked whether you would like to leave any legacies, otherwise known as gifts.
There are two main ways to leave a gift in your Will.
1. Residuary Gifts
A residuary gift is a share of your estate. This type of gift guarantees a fair distribution among all the people and organisations you want to benefit.
2. Pecuniary Gifts
A pecuniary gift is a fixed sum of money. If you would like to protect the value of your gift from diminishing over the years, you could think about indexing the sum that you give.
When you make a Will, you need to think about the legacies you would like to include. Are there any sentimental items that you want to leave to a particular person? Would you like to set aside money for a family member, friend or charity?
Benefits of leaving a legacy to a charity
After taking care of family and friends, including a gift in your Will to a registered charity like Amref Health Africa is a significant way to make a lasting impact on Africa’s future.
Leaving a Will is an essential step to ensure our assets are distributed according to our wishes after we pass away. In the United Kingdom, charitable giving through Wills has gained increasing importance, providing individuals with a unique opportunity to support causes close to their hearts even beyond their lifetime. Below are some benefits:
- Ensuring Your Values Live On: Leaving a charitable bequest in your Will allows you to extend your values and passions beyond your lifetime. By supporting causes that align with your beliefs, you can leave a lasting impact on issues that matter to you, such as lasting health change in Africa.
- Supporting Charitable Organisations: Amref Health Africa relies heavily on donations to continue their crucial work. By including a charitable gift in your Will, you provide much-needed financial support to Amref Health Africa, enabling them to carry out their missions and make a difference in the lives of millions of people.
- Tax Benefits: In the UK, leaving a charitable gift in your Will can have tax advantages. Under the Inheritance Tax rules, gifts to registered charities like Amref Health Africa UK are exempt from inheritance tax. By including a charitable bequest in your Will, you not only support causes you care about but also potentially reduce the tax burden for your beneficiaries. It’s a win-win situation that allows both your loved ones and the charities to benefit from your generosity.
- Leaving a Personal Legacy: Leaving money to charities in your Will is a powerful way to create a personal legacy. It demonstrates your commitment to making a positive impact on healthcare in Africa and leaves behind a lasting memory of your philanthropic nature.
Real life examples:
Health Worker Training: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the global shortage of health workers (doctors, nurses, midwives and more) is likely to reach 18 million by 2030. A third of that shortage – 6 million health workers – will be in Africa alone.
A legacy gift could help us train thousands more health workers each year and provide the basic healthcare to communities that in turn save lives.
Water and Sanitation: 81% of people in rural Africa don’t have clean water at home. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where the number of people without clean water is actually growing.
A legacy gift could help communities, schools and clinics across Africa gain access to life-saving clean water.
Women and girls: Pregnancy and childbirth are the biggest threats to the lives of women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. Every two minutes a woman dies from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth: that’s around 800 women every day.
A legacy gift could help us deliver vital information and advice to new mothers on important health and hygiene practices to keep their babies safe.
