The Kekeli Village Health Promoters met last month to discuss the program’s progress, build camaraderie, and learn some new material. This month they learned about cancer. This is quite poignant in light of the recent emphasis on the rise of non-communicable disease (NCD) burden in the developing world.
During the meeting the women also discussed barriers to their work and gave encouragement to one another. Some quotes we have heard from the women thus far regarding their work in the villages include:
“I feel great, as I have through the Kekeli program sensitized and assisted my people on minor health issues. It is a contribution towards improvement of the health of my people.” -Mawusi
“I am highly respected because I treat wounds for people in my community.” -Comfort
“My people thought I had been trained shortly as a nurse because of the way I handle minor health issues on malaria, diarrhea, wound treatment, and making referrals.” –Favour
This is exciting news to hear. While we know that these community health promoters are only one piece of the health delivery system in their districts and in Ghana, they are clearly having an impact in their village communities.
We have also received confirmation from the women that the provision of bicycles would help them greatly in their work, as many must travel far distances to visit members of their villages. We are working with our partner, the Bethel Clinic Compassion Foundation, to make this a reality.
