ghana Archives - Rural Health Collaborative

Thankful

At the Rural Health Collaborative, we have always been working across oceans. With our team spanning Ghana and the U.S., we have navigated different time zones, challenging mobile service and internet reception, and different cultural norms—some of which we are aware of and some of which we surely are not. A year and a half…

Weeks 2 and 3, in photos

Our final weeks were filled with so much laughter, reconnection, new hurdles, old hurdles, new and old friends both Ghanian and from stateside. We thought it best shown rather than written about this time.

Healthy Ghana Mamas and Babies

We started this incredible journey of working in Ghana a little over six years ago. San Diego is the place we all met, it is where we held our first meetings, planned our first trips, held our first fundraisers, and perhaps more importantly, found our first supporters. A lot of friends and family who heard…

Introducing the newest Kekeli Women!

This past November we trained 18 new Kekeli Women (our third group!) to promote health, monitor pregnant women, and organize for health in their communities. It is always fun to see the new faces, meet the new personalities, and watch the old and new women come together. There are now 47 Kekeli Women representing 47…

A Few Firsts from Week One

When we first arrived, I had a hard time counting how many times I have been to Ghana. Not because each trip has been indistinct; but that each trip here has been full of countless learning experiences, challenges and growth. As I reflected at the end of my first week back in Ghana, there were…

17 Things I Learned While Running Round a Mountain

Sometimes you will give your legs pep talks. Sometimes you will cuss at them. When you roll your ankle really bad and want to cry you realize you probably shouldn’t because you’ll lose hydration. Sometimes you’ll try and hydrate more JUST so you can squat to pee/ take a break (sorry Coral). You will go…

20 Things I’ve Learned While Training

I feel extremely grateful to be able bodied enough to even attempt something like this. I’m terrible at active recovery- active recovery after a hard effort involves me lying on the couch and moving as little as possible and asking for things to be brought to me. Fear is a great motivator- there have been…

Why run 40 miles?

“40 miles? Around a mountain? That’s crazy!” has been the immediate response from anyone I have shared my plans with. I agree; it feels crazy. At this point in my training I am grateful that I really did not have an understanding for what I was getting myself into. I have never trained for anything,…

Ghana Reflections: Kirsten Moore

This week has sped by and it’s been a colorful, joyful and exhilarating ride. I have to admit, I didn’t have any set expectations for this trip. I spotted a Facebook post from Heather asking for volunteers to help teach a program in Ghana and I thought, Africa, I can teach, I’m going. From the…

Mapping the Kekeli Communities in Akatsi

Today was a great day, the first full day for our August 2015 team, which includes three group members who’ve never been to Ghana (or Africa) before: Heather, Kristen, and Kirsten. It was also our first day of village visits, a trip tradition where we drive around to as many Kekeli communities as possible and…