The Kekeli Women continue their incredibly consistent work. Their commitment to their communities and and each other are the driving forces behind RHC.

It may sound like a broken record, but now in their 13th year, the Kekeli Women are still just as passionate about their work as they were back in 2011.

There are 68 Kekeli Women across the Akatsi North and Akatsi South Districts. They each come from unique communities where they live.

2023 saw a 100% retention rate among the Kekeli Women as compared to the year prior. Over time, our retention rate continues to be over 90%.

They educate, perform health screenings, provide basic care, and refer to local clinics.

Each of the Kekeli Cohorts (there have now been 4!) work together and have formed their own community of support for one another.

In 2023, 68 Kekeli Women taught in 80 unique communities in the Akatsi North and South Districts.

Their teachings and interventions reached over 30,000 people!

Kekeli women taught a myriad of health topics including malaria and COVID-19 prevention, various sexual health topics, nutrition, heart disease and stroke prevention, the importance of treating high blood pressure, and many other topics.

They continue to emphasize safe childbirth and are trained to respond to labor emergencies in their communities.

Kekeli women also dressed 1,559 wounds and checked 7,093 blood pressures. Both represent at least 25% increases over the year prior.

They made 646 referrals to local clinics for serious illness; this is nearly double the number from 2022!

And there is no way to truly track how valuable the Kekeli Women are to their communities. Their leadership, presence, and expertise are something all communities in Ghana deserve.

In 2023 the Kekeli Program was led by our fantastic Ghanaian management team: Alnice, Georgina, David, Comfort, and Benedicta. We are continually amazed at their work ethic and commitment to the Kekeli Women.

And we are terribly sad to share that in November of 2023, Comfort passed away.

Olivia wrote a blog post about Comfort, in memoriam, that you can read here..

It is impossible to convey what knowing Comfort meant to each of us here. She was our colleague and she was our friend. She was so very funny and deeply caring. She will be laid to rest in early 2024. Rest in peace sister Comfort.

2023 was also the year we welcomed Dr. Brandy Holloman as RHC Executive Director!

She has hit the ground running, forming new relationships with the Ghanaian diaspora, overseeing funding decisions, and has been a wonderful addition to the team.

Our board of directors also saw transition in 2023. Sarah Hamill became our board chair and has been working diligently to ensure our policies and procedures are up to date. And Nana Aboagye moved into the treasurer role, as Eric Schulz transitioned off the board. We are indebted to Eric for his work to organize our finances over many years.

And finally, a huge thanks to Jon Kroening, who for years has assisted us with maintaining our monitoring platform, to ensure that the work of the Kekeli Women is known and recognized.

In our fiscal year 2022/2023 we raised $45,331 from grants and donations.

We ended 2023 with 63 members of The Collective who give a total of $2,856 each month.

The Collective gives us stability in our funding which is essential for a small organization like ours.

It allows us to focus more on the Kekeli Women and less on fundraising.

We have seen a steady decline in our monthly funding over the past few years. If you would like to help restore our funding, either by joining The Collective for the first time or increasing your monthly donation, we would be so grateful!

For a closer look at our FY 2022/23 finances, click here.