Adansimaim

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Adansimaim is located near the coast in the Central Region of Ghana. People in Adansimaim are primarily dedicated to farming. The nearest health center to the community is in Essuehyia, about a 40 minute walk away. To alleviate issues with water quality and quantity, GB built various rainwater harvesting units in Adansimaim in 2012. In addition, a corn-processing mill micro-enterprise was established. 

District: Ekumfi

Region: Central

Homes : 125
Population : 672
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Majority
Health Center : No
Midwife in community : No
Homes with toilet facility : N/A
Education : Nursery School Only
Distance From Lodging Facility : 60 - 90 Minutes

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS:

There are two types of public health clinics available to rural Ghanaians: Health Centers and Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds. Health Centers serve large geographic areas within a district and are staffed by physicians. CHPS compounds serve small clusters of communities and are staffed by live-in nurses. The nurses provide basic services and, if capacity allows, they conduct home visits to families in the communities. Adansimaim does not have its own CHPS compound, but community members are served by the nearby Essuehyia Health Center.

Even with this coverage, it is important to note that medications, equipment, and essential infrastructure are often not available in these clinics and the physician density in Ghana remains around 0.2 physicians per 1,000 people. According to the World Health Organization, there should be a minimum of 2.3 physicians per 1,000 people to qualify a country as having adequate access to medical attention.

Another key factor for health care access in Ghana is insurance. Ghana’s National Health Insurance plan offers universal coverage, but few rural community members are actively enrolled. During Medical Brigades, community members are educated about the benefits of health insurance, and are encouraged to enroll (or re-enroll) in the National Health Insurance Plan.

*These statistics reflect data from historical Medical Brigades in Adansimaim. Medical Brigades are now held in the community of Essuehyia, where community members from Adansimaim attend mobile clinics.

44

Volunteers*

143

Patient Consultations*

N/A

Vision Screenings Provided*

25

Health Education Workshops*

Essuehyia Health Center where community members from Adansimaim attend clinics

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members in Adansimaim attend Medical Brigade clinics hosted in Essuehyia’s Health Center. Volunteers assist local doctors and community nurses to serve patients at each station of the clinic. More information is available on the Essuehyia profile.

MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS IN ADANSIMAIM:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
DePaul University & King’s College London Medical Brigade June 2013 26
Drexel University (Philadelphia Students) Medical Brigade December 2013 18

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

ADANSIMAIM’S WATER CHALLENGE:

The two main water challenges in the Ekumfi district are: water access and water quality. Where piped water is not available, rainwater is the most culturally accepted form of drinking water. When rainwater is not available, community members will often go to rivers or small dug out ponds for water.

When Global Water Brigades entered the community of Adansimaim, its residents fetched water for domestic use out of a small stream, which dries up during the dry season. Especially women and children spent many hours a day collecting water in open containers and carrying it back home.

The water from Adansimaim’s stream is subject to high levels of contamination and is rarely treated before consumption. Using this water for personal consumption could lead to diarrhea, cholera, skin rash and other water related diseases and infections. One of the few safe water options for community members was purchasing water sachets but this is an unsustainable practice as well as an unreliable and in the long-term expensive option for drinking water.

27

Volunteers

N/A

Project Beneficiaries

2,000

Storage Tank Volume (gallons)

N/A

Kilometers of Pipeline Installed

Rainwater Harvester in Adansimaim

ADANSIMAIM’S WATER SOLUTION:

In June 2012 the University College of London constructed a Community-wide Rainwater Harvester (CWRH) in Adansimaim as well as helped set up a water committee consisting of a president, treasurer, secretary and two agents responsible for selling the water from the system. The generated funds are used to maintain the system as well as to fill up the system’s storage tanks with purchased water from tanker trucks during the dry season, which is again sold to the community.

WATER VOLUNTEERS IN ADANSIMAIM:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University College London Water June 2012 27

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

ADANSIMAIM’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

Adansimaim’s community members are mainly dependent on farming for sustenance. The primary goods and food products produced in the community are maize and cassava. Additionally they started producing peppers and tomatoes. As the crops are seasonal, the revenue is volatile. Apart from petty goods trading, the community does not have any other alternative source of income.

The Susus (the traditional savings system), have a huge presence in this community, where more than 6 operate annually. Apart from the Susus there is no other access to credit or savings in the areas. Yet with the way susus are structured, there is very low capital injection into the community; money just moves from one community member’s hand to another’s.

39

Volunteers

N/A

Savings Accounts Opened

N/A

Loans Disbursed

$1,727

Capital Invested

ADANSIMAIM’S BUSINESS SOLUTION

The community of Adansimaim had a working corn mill over four years ago but it broke down and was not reparable. Upon the mill breaking down, community members were forced to travel long distances to get their corn processed, effecting their profit margin on what they were able to sell. This travel was often not possible and the wait led to the crop going bad.

In January 2013, the community agreed to give up a portion of community land for a corn mill project and put in all the necessary labor, sand and water necessary to build the structure to house the mill. The structure of the business comprises an executive committee of committed community members that runs the mill. People in specific positions overlook operational, financial and marketing tasks. All additional costs were taken as a loan from the Community Development Fund, which include other structural materials with an addition of the motor and the mill. The corn mill processing is doing great making a lot of profit to help with community projects.

ADANSIMAIM’S MICRO-FINANCE SOLUTION

GB Ghana Business Program Manager, Shiella, consults with an MHope Group in Ekumpoano

The GB Business Program works with Microfin Rural Bank to stimulate the local economy by organizing community volunteers around a community bank which is entirely owned and operated by its members. Focusing on providing access to credit and savings for their fellow community members, its volunteers are tasked with socializing the community bank and managing the funds. Microfin and the GB Business Program provides training and support to help strengthen these community banks and stimulate the flow of capital within the community. These financial services are especially beneficial for subsistence farmers and entrepreneurs, who can invest more heavily in their production with a loan, pay back the loan after sales, and generate an income with any excess.

Adansimiam has not yet established a Microfin “MHope Group,” but GB will engage with the community about this opportunity as soon as feasible.

BUSINESS VOLUNTEERS IN ADANSIMIAM:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
CHUR Microfinance Brigade 2012 4
London Business School Business Brigade 2013 9
Columbia University Microfinance Brigade 2014 11
Dublin City University Microfinance Brigade 2014 15

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Adansimaim but has not yet begun with the Public Health Brigades program. Now in the planning phase, implementation of a public health solution will start as soon as feasible.

Homes with toilet facilties : N/A
Common house materials : bricks, concrete blocks

Local Reference Points

View the map to see the closest volunteer lodging facilities, hospitals, and other relevant points of reference.

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