Save 200 mothers from preventable deaths in Ghana

Dear Donor, 

In 2017, African Health Now (AHN) entered into a partnership with the Madina Polyclinic Kekele (Madina Polyclinic) in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. Through this partnership, AHN has provided support with critical care services and health education promotion for pregnant women engaged in maternal and reproductive health care. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, AHN supported the engagement of 200 - 250 pregnant women through the government-mandated Pregnancy School Program. This program provides health education on various topics regarding maternal health and pregnancy and sexual and reproductive health. 

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, services and clinic operations have been impacted, causing the clinic and program to operate at a limited capacity, including reducing the number of pregnant women attending classes. Currently, the program hosts 30 to 45 women daily, with sessions reduced one-hour to 10 to 15 minutes. AHN hopes that, as the vaccine roll-out progresses, the Pregnancy School can resume its normal hours and capacity.  Further, COVID-19 has also impacted resources, increased the need for services, and over-burden of staff. 

To support the clinic, AHN launched two campaigns, one in December of 2020, which with donor support, AHN raised over $5,000 to support the continuation of programming and production and distribution of over 100 AHN’s signature Maternity Go-Boxes. These boxes include diapers, milk, and clothing, with a curated care package that contains these newborn essentials. With leftover funds from this campaign, AHN is in the process of packaging and delivering 100 more Maternity Go Boxes to pregnant women at the Madina Polyclinic. These new boxes are approximately expected by mid-April 2021. 

In March 2021, AHN launched its second campaign in honor of International Women’s Day. The campaign was held from March 8 through March 12, 2021. The campaign aimed to raise funds for AHN’s new emergency relief program as part of their continued support to the clinic and programs that were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds were used to purchase medical supplies and equipment for clinic staff and emergency grab bags that included necessary hygienic items and food. AHN has already used some of the funds from this campaign to distribute food packages to reduce mothers' economic hardships.

As part of the campaign and to show support for International Women's Day, AHN launched its first webinar in partnership with the HER Foundation, moderated by AHN’s Director of Programs and Development, Ashley Azor, MPH, and organized by AHN’s Development and Grants Associate, Natalia Vega-Varela, AHN invited panel speakers from organizations including Every Mother Mother Counts and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Panelists discussed the impact that COVID-19 had on their program, services, and client population; they discussed lessons learned and provided recommendations Post COVID-19. To view a recording of our webinar, please see the following link here.

As the next steps, AHN will use panelists' feedback to inform future programming and services at the clinic. This will not be the last of the online fundraising and webinars, as AHN plans to host a series of events online to continue to raise awareness of AHN and raise support for the women AHN services in Accra, Ghana, across Sub Saharan Africa. 

On behalf of our founder Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo, and our team, we are incredibly grateful for your support, and we are honored to have you as part of our mission!