At a glance: GlobeMed at Northwestern has funded the design and construction of the HOPE Center, a village-level health center that works with the Ghana Health Services to deliver needed public health services to the eight rural communities that otherwise lack access to health care. Currently, GlobeMed at NU is working to address malnutrition through a community-based nutrition and education program.

Key fact: 45% of children ages 6 months to 5 years are malnourished in the Ho, District, where the HOPE Center is located, according to the Ghana Health Services.

Partner: The H.O.P.E. Center currently serves 6,000 people in eight villages with child welfare clinics, childhood immunizations, maternal health classes, insecticide-treated bed net distribution, and family planning services. The Center is locally staffed by nurses from the Ghana Health Services (GHS) and they plan on expanding to offer clinical services through licensed physicians in the near future. The Center has only recently opened in the past year and has spent the first several months establishing relationships with the community and performing further needs assessments in order to scale programs and services in the coming years.

GlobeMed’s Current Impact: Addressing Child Malnutrition
GlobeMed is currently working with Margaret Asante, the head nurse at the Center, to support a community-based nutrition program as well as assist in data collection and evaluation. The nutrition program will consist of (1) creation of a small farm next to the Center from which the food will be used for education and demonstration of women in the community, (2) organize focal groups, seminars, and community discussions, (3)  home visits to support mothers in preparation of weaning diet, and (4) provide special care and food to children who are currently malnourished. The program aims to reduce malnutrition in the community from 45% to 15% over the course of the next two years. GlobeMed will not only fund this project, but also help local staff on-site with data collection and analysis.

History: In 2003, GlobeMed leaders at Northwestern and Joseph Achana, a community leader in Ho, Ghana (Past President of the Rotary Club of Ho) worked together to lay forth plans to build a new health center near Ho, Ghana. Students at Northwestern mobilized their campus and partnered with Rotary clubs to raise 40K to construct a high quality health center. The center opened in April of 2007 and has since become a valued asset to community members, especially women and children. The long-term impact from this endeavor will be clearer in the coming years, but the signs are already encouraging.

For more information on GlobeMed’s work with the H.O.P.E. Center:
Colleen Fant, Co-President of GlobeMed at NU chapter: colleen.fant@gmail.com
Jon Shaffer, Co-President of GlobeMed at NU chapter: jonathanshaffer2007@u.northwestern.edu