Ekrawfo

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Ekrawfo is located near the coast in the Central Region of  Ghana. A typical home in Ekrawfo is made of concrete blocks, clay, or wood. People in Ekrawfo are primarily dedicated to farming and there are some small businesses. There is a health clinic in Ekrawfo, including a maternity clinic nearby the community.  When Global Brigades conducted a needs assessment in 2017, about 30% of homes had toilets and most people used the free, public toilets. Currently, standpipes, wells, and boreholes provide access to safe drinking water to about 40% of homes in Ekrawfo. Community members have access to school from kindergarten through junior high school. There is a community bank in Ekrawfo that offers savings and loans services. The community expressed that their top needs are more standpipes, a library, and improvements to the health clinic.

District: Ekumfi

Region: Central

Homes : 430
Population : 1777
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Majority
Health Clinic : Yes
Midwife at clinic : No
Homes with toilet facility : 30%
Education : Up to junior high
Distance from Lodging Facility : 45 - 60 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. 

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 healthcare 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.

Ekrawfo has a CHPS compound in the community. The most common illnesses in Ekrawfo are malaria, diarrhea, and chest infections.

259

Volunteers

2683

Patient Consultations

951

Vision Screenings Provided

86

Health Education Workshops

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Ekrawfo CHPS compound

Medical Brigade clinics are hosted in Ekrawfo’s CHPS Compound. Volunteers assist local doctors and community nurses to serve patients at each station of the clinic. Each day of the brigade, an average of  6 educational charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 554

MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS IN EKRAWFO:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Pennsylvania State University Medical Brigade December 2012 35 State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook Medical Brigade May 2013 35
Texas A&M University & University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Medical Brigade December 2013 16 University of San Diego Medical Brigade June 2017 32
University of Texas Austin Medical Brigade January 2018 23 University of Arizona Medical Brigade May 2018 29
California State University East Bay Medical Brigade January 2019 20 DePaul University Medical Brigade June 2019 13
Texas State University Medical & University of Connecticut Medical Brigade August 2021 21 Kingsway Highschool March 2022 21
Eli Lilly Connecting Hearts Abroad September 2023 14

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Ekrawfo but has not yet begun with the Water Brigades program.  Now in the planning phase, implementation of a water solution will start as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
System Type : Standpipes
Homes connected to water : ~6%
Water Council : No

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EKRAWFO’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

Rural communities in Ghana face a number of structural obstacles when it comes to economic growth. Access to credit is limited by physical barriers in transportation and exclusion from formal financial institutions. If community members aren’t able to access these institutions, their only option is to solicit credit from loan sharks, who charge exorbitant interest rates. Additionally, maintaining savings is not a common practice in rural communities in Ghana. The main source of income in Ekrawfo is farming and petty trading.

5

Savings Accounts Opened

10

Loans Disbursed

$1,100

Capital Invested

EKRAWFO’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 provide 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.

Ekrawfo has one Microfin “MHope group”: Enkakyir Group (est. October 2018). The shareholders of the MHope group meet weekly to deposit savings and manage loans which are approved by all the bank’s members.

EKRAWFO’S BUSINESS SOLUTION

In addition to working with the community banks, the Business Program provides support and technical skills in establishing anchor businesses that generate additional capital. The goal is to better integrate isolated communities into the local economy and allow for growth. During this process, interested community members receive training to increase their familiarity with business terminology, develop their business administration skills, and promote innovation and diversification in the types of business ventures they pursue.

The Business Program will start hosting Business Brigades in Ekrawfo to study the local market in hopes of identifying and developing potential business opportunities for the community as soon as feasible.

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Ekrawfo 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 facility : 30%
Common house materials : concrete blocks, bricks, mud

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature