Ghana
In 2011, we decided to expand our Holistic Model to a country in Africa to complement its work in Central America. Through in-person visits of more than 20 countries and a thorough research report on the best fit for our model, Ghana was selected as the best partner country. Programs in Ghana focus on healthcare, economic development and clean water.
To improve access to healthcare, we partner with the Ghanaian government to provide mobile medical clinics that take place in public Ministry of Health clinics. In addition to providing consultations and medications, these clinics also provide public health education workshops and promote the National Health Insurance Scheme. For economic development, we collaborate with both private and government organizations to create jobs by promoting and expanding local businesses, and to support community-owned banks that provide access to loans while re-circulating loan repayments back into the community bank for future loans. To combat common illnesses such as diarrhea, parasites and cholera, we also work with communities, the Ghana Water Company, Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), and other partners to construct pour-flush toilets, hand-washing stations and potable water systems.
- 99 Community Partners
- Working with more than 751,000 Community Members
- 28.10% of rural population without access to basic or safely managed drinking water source
- 83% of rural population without access to basic or safely managed sanitation facilities
- 1.06 Physicians per 10,000 people
- Common sources of income include agriculture, fishing, charcoal trading and driving
Our Work in Ghana
Programs Currently Implemented
Invested in Community Owned Banks & Businesses
People with Access to Clean Water
Families Benefited with Public Health Projects
Highlighted Projects
Community Banks
Termed as Community Development Funds (CDFs) in Ghana, these community banks established through Global Brigades provide families and small businesses in the community with access to savings accounts, small loans and financial literacy.
Community Health Volunteers
To support the work of our chronic medical screening clinics, Global Brigades Ghana also deploys trained Community Health Volunteers into communities to monitor community members’ health and provide basic services. If a Community Health Volunteer identifies a patient who needs treatment, he or she refers the patient to an Ekumfi Health Directorate community health post.
Clean Water
Our clean water efforts originally started with school and household rainwater harvesters and has since grown to a partnership with the Ghana Water Company to provide year-round water access. Global Brigades Ghana supported the construction of a water treatment plant to serve Ekumfi District. The now-completed plant holds 2.6 million gallons of water per day, with the potential to serve 183,000 people.
Education
World Impact Foundation granted $8,000 to build a school with two classrooms and one combined library and meeting space for teachers. In turn, Global Brigades Ghana acquired the building materials and worked closely with the Adansimaim community to ensure they were fully committed to the project. In December 2016, Adansimaim completed its school. The Adansimaim Basic School will now serve children in the community ages 4-10.
Safety
Volunteer safety will always be our absolute top priority. Global Brigades recently engaged Askari International Security, an industry leader in international risk assessment, to complete a comprehensive risk/safety assessment of all brigade operations. A full explanation of safety precautions and procedures can be found on our “Safety & Insurance” page.
Volunteer Safety in Ghana
- Global Brigades is in contact with OSAC (the Overseas Security Advisory Committee) to receive up-to-date security and safety briefings from the U.S. State Department;
- Established relationships with local community authorities to gain trust and access into communities;
- Established relationships with local authorities to provide monitoring of volunteer activity in country;
- Full-time local Global Brigades medical personnel on-call at all times;
- Adherence to the IVPA standards of international volunteering.