Comfort Sorkpor was a mother of three, grandmother of four and great-grandmother to one. She was one of Rural Health Collaborative’s biggest skeptics until she wasn’t, eventually joining as the Director of Education and leading the team with grit, a deep well of knowledge, and humor that she shared freely. She was a devoted Christian who believed with God all things are possible. She was hard-working, principled, and jovial. She was considered a friend by many and also a sister, teacher, and counselor. On Tuesday, November 14th 2023 she passed away at the Volta Regional Hospital in Ho.
The RHC USA team first encountered Comfort in the blossoming days of RHC back in 2011. She was working for the Ghana Health Service at the time and would occasionally contract with RHC to teach on different health education topics. If we are honest, most of the USA team was intimidated by her sharp wit and unwelcoming attitude. Comfort was skeptical of us, as we would later all joke together, and she didn’t know what our level of commitment was to the people of Akatsi. “But you people were really serious!” she would remark many years later, as we would joke around together about how she didn’t trust us all that much in the beginning. As we continued to show up every year, dedicated to the Kekeli Women and partnering with the people of Akatsi for better health outcomes, Comfort began to respect and admire RHC enough to join us in her retirement as the Ghana Teaching Director. We could not believe our luck, to have such an intelligent, well-respected and passionate nurse on our team. The RHC leadership team were not the only person to think so; the Kekeli Women adored Comfort. She knew her stuff, knew how to teach well and was always there to support the Kekeli Women.
There are no words to relay how deeply we will all miss Comfort. Her smile, her jokes, her passion to improve healthcare. She is an irreplaceable part of our team and we will carry her memory with us forever. May her family be comforted and may she rest in peace.
