their idea: train doctors from rural hospitals in
Saboba, Ghana
$50 Provides malaria medication for 200 in-patients
$120 Pays the costs for 10 individuals to visit the clinic
$500 Covers the salary of a clinic nurse for one month
$2,000 Provides 1 year of nursing school for a local nurse
$4,000 Provides 1 year of medical school for a local doctor
the power of their idea
Project Details
In a community of 35,000 in Northern Ghana there is one hospital, and zero full-time doctors. By training a local surgeon through medical school the communities of Saboba and Cheriponi will be able to receive medical support and medication that could very well save their lives. Currently operating far beyond capacity, with many of their part-time doctors consulting upwards of 100 patients per day, the Saboba Medical Centre in Northern Ghana is in dire need of a full-time doctor to tend to the medical needs of this large community.
Groundwork Opportunities has partnered with Saboba Medical Centre to start training local community members to become nurses and doctors. Not only does this bring valuable skills to the community, it also greatly speeds the process of administering health care at rural health clinics. Local doctors are able to speak the many dialects of the various tribes and are therefore better able to understand the needs of their patients. Groundwork Opportunities began a pilot project in 2009 by sponsoring the education of Sammy Kwando (read more below) who will become the first Medical Doctor for the region upon his graduation in 2013.
the impact of our support
Sammy's Story
Sammy Kwando (left) began his life with a dream of becoming a doctor. Born into a community where people only earn pennies a day, he was so intent on his dream that he began working construction 8 hours a day, carrying stones on his head to pay for his high school education. Although often exhausted upon returning home from work, Sammy studied through the night and aced his high school exit exams.
In 1997, he began volunteering at the Saboba Medical Center to learn everything he could about health care as he was unable to afford the high cost of medical school fees. Now sponsored by Groundwork Opportunities, Sammy is in his third year of medical school and on the path to fulfilling his dream. Sammy will have a massive impact on his community, not only serving as an inspiration, but also helping understands the needs and ailments of his people, as a native of the area.