Kiwanis women join with missionary group to provide health care in Ghana
FIVE women from the Kiwanis Club of Eastern St Andrew — President Rose Marie Brown and distinguished presidents Velmore Lawrence, Donna Newman, Saundra Bailey and Althea Reid — recently accepted an invitation from Mission Possible, a Christian missionary group based in the USA, to travel to Ghana. The group, which was founded in 1998 by chaplain and director Beverley Thompson, a Jamaican now residing in the USA, focuses on health care, education, construction and the spiritual needs of communities in need of assistance.
Over the years, many projects have been undertaken in different countries including Jamaica, Nigeria, Haiti, Ghana and Rwanda. This time, a contingent of 22, including the five members from Jamaica, journeyed to Ghana, arriving at the capital Accra on January 11. The group continued by air to Kumasi International Airport where a warm welcome awaited them thanks to Chief Appiagyek Dankawoso.
Their first order of business was attending a church service on Saturday, January 12 at the Market Street Seventh-day Adventist Church in the town of Techiman. The church facilities also serve as a basic school for children up to 12 years old. A cash donation was presented towards the church’s community outreach programme.
Nana Appiagyek Dankawoso, chief of the municipality of Juaben, as well as special advisor to the president of Ghana, head of the Ghanaian Chamber of Commerce, and head of the combined chambers of commerce for all the African countries, hosted the group at his village home in Juaben.
The first health fair was held on January 15. A section of a main street in Juaben was blocked off from vehicular traffic and tents erected for their use, thanks to Chief Nana Dankawoso. Young and old, totalling over 600, benefited that day. Many, if not most of those who benefited, did not speak English, so people who could gave of their time to be interpreters, free of charge. Some of the common illnesses diagnosed were diabetes, low and high blood pressure, and sight problems. Those who needed further treatment were referred to major hospitals.
Over the next few days, more health fairs were held in different villages. The group also had the privilege of visiting the Seventh-day Adventist Senior School in Juaben. This is a boarding school that caters to over 3,000 students. The demand for water is very high and the supply on campus was inadequate both at school and in the adjoining communities. The chore of fetching water is done mainly by girls who usually do so in the evening after school. Mission Possible took on the mammoth task of securing donations to drill a well on the school premises. By the end of their stay in Ghana, the well was completed and dedicated.
