Ghanaian Women’s Association of Georgia to Commission Maternity Ward

Atlanta, GA (September 2016) – The Ghanaian Women’s Association of Georgia (GWAG) is pleased to announce the upcoming commissioning of the refurbished maternity ward of the Elmina Urban Health Center. The event will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2016, in the forecourt of the Elmina Urban Health Center, at 10AM.

The event which is being coordinated by GWAG, in collaboration with the Rotary Clubs of Cape-Coast, Accra Airport, and Accra-Airport City, will be attended by various community leaders, hospital management and staff, representatives from the Ghana Health Service, and the Ministry of Health. Nana Kodwo Conduah VI, Omanhen of the Edina Traditional Area will unveil the plaque listing names of major donors who helped fund the project. Activities lined up as part of the commissioning include a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a reception.

The commissioning will mark the successful completion of a project that was initiated almost a year ago when GWAG adopted the maternity ward as part of its mission to improve maternity healthcare in under-served communities in Ghana. In March 2016, the association, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, held a successful fundraising event to raise the funds needed to ship essential medical equipment and supplies to furnish the ward. In June 2016, the association was able to ship a 40ft container full of hospital beds, an ultrasound machine, incubators, stretchers, wound care and IV supplies, and other consumables to Ghana with the assistance of Advocates for World Health, a Tampa-based not-for-profit corporation that recovers and redistributes surplus medical products to relief agencies working in developing nations. In collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, Rotary Clubs of Cape-Coast, Accra Airport, and Accra Airport-City, the items were cleared from the Tema port and distributed to the Elmina Urban Health Center; the main beneficiary, as well as Yendi Municipal Hospital, and Oda Government Hospital.

Speaking at a media briefing held on August 10, 2016, in Accra, Hajia Fatima High, country representative of GWAG and project lead, explained that the organization made the decision to embark on this project to serve women and children - the two groups that the association represents - and that the organization’s long-term goal is to replicate this model of maternity ward adoption throughout the country. She reiterated that it was important for the country’s development for citizens to be part of the change they want to see.

The association and its members are truly delighted at the prospect of the first patient laying in one of the beds it has donated, where she will safely deliver her baby, or receive necessary treatment, using the medical equipment and supplies it has provided. GWAG is also excited about the collaboration with the various Rotary Clubs of Accra Airport, Accra-Airport City, and Cape-Coast; without whose help the implementation of this project would not have gone as smoothly as it has. The partnership has been characterized by effective teamwork, trust, and total cooperation, and GWAG can now look forward to finally bettering the maternity experience, one ward at a time – beginning with the Elmina Urban Health Center.