Nursing and Medical Outreach in Rural Ghana

Dear Reader

Thank you for taking the time to visit my fundraising page.

On the 15th November of this year I will spend two weeks volunteering my nursing skills on the International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) Medical and Medical Outreach projects in Accra, Ghana. IVHQ is a New Zealand based NGO (Non Government Organisation) that runs community based projects, with the aim of helping smaller Ghanaian communities, deprived of basic medical health care services.

In 2018 it was estimated that 2.8 milliion Ghanaians, about 10% of the population live in extreme poverty. Ghana faces a multitude of health issues that affect its population’s life expectancy. HIV/AIDS is one of the top ten causes of death in Ghana. This virus killed 10,300 people in Ghana in 2012, which was 4.9% of the country’s population and ranked as the fifth leading cause of death in Ghana, by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2012, Malaria killed 8.3 percent of Ghana’s population. At this rate, Malaria ranked higher than HIV/AIDS, at number three, in the leading causes of death in Ghana. When considering children under five, Malaria was the leading cause of death, killing 20 percent of this group in 2012. These figures are utterly heartbreaking to me. Imagine if it was your child ill with malaria.

In the major cities of Ghana such as Accra, medical care is fairly good and accessible relative to other African nations. However, once you leave the major cities, the standards drop considerably and there is a shortage of trained medical professionals to work in the communities and provide even the most basic health care services. It is for these reasons I am so passionate about going to Ghana to volunteer my time, money and skills to help people less fortunate than myself and my family.

During my two weeks there I will work closely with local staff and other volunteers to deliver basic first aid, and fundamental health care services. This will include providing wound care, sexual health education, and general infection prevention education. We will also be carrying out malaria testing and then treating any cases of malaria with the appropriate medication.

In order for to me to participate on this program, I have to pay fees of £720 which will cover very basic accommodation (dormitory style room with other volunteers in a house with intermittent electricity and no running water), basic meals, medical supplies and medication for the people we are helping, plus administration costs. I will also have extra costs such as my airfare to Ghana (average cost £470), in country travel, visas, travel insurance and vaccinations. I will also be taking extra medical supplies and funds to invest in projects being undertaken by the local NGOs and communities with whom I am working.

So that I can plan and prepare for my trip accordingly and contribute the most to the project, I am asking if people would like to donate, that they do so before the end of September. This will allow me to buy medical supplies and cover costs outlined above. My project manager Claire Chambers has provided me with a verification letter of what I will be doing in Ghana and the costs involved in providing such essential healthcare. Claire would also be happy to answer any questions people have about the project, so please just ask and I can pass on her contact details.

Thank you again for reading my story. If you are able to donate and support my cause I would really appreciate it, every little helps.