Ken presenting scribblers and footballs to staff at Nwawasea primary school .
By Bev Hilton
All my life I have taken living in Canada for granted, education, healthcare, living standards, access to clean water, etc. Several years ago I traveled to Ghana, West Africa for the first time, what an unbelievable life experience.
I recently returned for my fourth Rotary trip to followup on our recent Global Grant for $100,500 USD to provide an array of medical equipment to seven hospitals in the Brong Ahafo region. The nurses were overjoyed to have incubators for the new babies in the NICU and radiant heaters to ensure life for the more fragile. One hospital administrator told us the autoclave used to sterilize the equipment could not have come at a better time, as they only had one remaining to share with all the wards. Providing fridges for the storage of blood has opened the avenue for blood drives as many times a patients family may be required to attend for donation before any medical treatment can be provided, this becomes very troublesome in life-threatening circumstances.
Along with all this seriousness, we shared fellowship with our partners, danced and laughed and embraced the culture. We visited several past projects, as our partnership extends ten plus years, assisting with water wells, school libraries, connected water supplies to schools and markets, built latrines, supplied books, computers, and whiteboards to schools and built security fences around schools to improve the attendance of students and safety of all. Tended this partnership can continue for years. Our 2019 team, Rtn Ken Hammer, Rtn Wayne Peddie, Pam Peddie, and Kelsy Wolff, each offered valuable skills and understanding to uncover a way forward for the continued success of our projects.
We are able to share aspects of our professions and culture with the Ghanaians, as a small group of Rotarians visits Nanaimo every other year and to enhance this partnership we have gone as far as to have the Mayors of Nanaimo and Sunyani, Ghana declared to be Sister cities.
I am now in the process of working on two Global Grants the first for a new Maternity ward at the Sunyani Municipal hospital with added equipment for the hospital eye clinic. The second is a simple school project that will involve 3 schools.
Please feel free to message or email me if you are interested in contributing to either project, I can provide more details as the application unfolds.
Bev Hilton / bev.j.hilton@gmail.com
Visiting the Nankeetwa Women's cooperative.
Pam discussing Physiotherapy program with staff at Bechem Hospital