Health Outreach, Prevention and Education = Hope for Ghana

Anaane is a mother of three and lives in a rural community in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Where Anaane lives, it is very difficult to access health services for her and her family and that is why HPIC launched the H.O.P.E. (Health Outreach, Prevention and Education) project in 2019 to assist families like Anaane’s. Recently, she had an encounter with HPIC’s H.O.P.E. project and had this to say:

“My children used to get sick frequently. They regularly had high temperatures and anytime I took them to the Kugre Clinic, which is about a 30 minute walk from my house, I was always told that my child is suffering from malaria. Drugs are usually given to me but for only a short amount of time. Within a month, another one of my children would experience a high temperature again. When I would visit the clinic, I did not receive any education about malaria from the health staff and I never thought to ask how I could prevent this malaria.

One day I was preparing to send my younger child to the clinic when Mr. Bukari (one of the H.O.P.E. project’s community-based agents [CBAs]) came to my house. Mr. Bukari said he wanted us to discuss malaria. I told him that one of my children had a high temperature, so I was preparing to take my child to the clinic for treatment. He asked me if he could assess and provide some treatment if possible. He assisted me to do tepid sponging and provided us with paracetamol to reduce the fever. He examined my child using the malaria test and the result was positive. He then gave me medicines and educated me on how to prevent malaria. Since it was a one-on-one discussion, I was able to ask all the questions I wanted concerning malaria.

Since I received the malaria education, none of my children have fallen sick. I am particularly grateful to Mr. Bukari and the H.O.P.E. project for the free services we are receiving at home.

I also wish those supporting them with resources to do this work, to have good health and a long life so that they can continue to help us. Without the help of the CBA, I would have walked another 30 minutes to the health facility with my baby on my back.”

HPIC’s H.O.P.E. project improves the health and well-being of community members by focusing on mothers, pregnant women and children under the age of five. The program offers preventive and curative services, and community sensitization on common childhood diseases and maternal issues. During the first year of the project, 40 volunteers were trained to become community-based agents (CBAs) to make monthly household visits to help families like Anaane’s. So far, the project has impacted almost 20,000 people.

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