This summer, four of us GlobeMed members will be heading to Ghana to spend the summer at the H.O.P.E. Center for this year’s GROW project. We have been busy designing projects that will continue to build upon the Center’s existing programs in a sustainable fashion. Here is what each of us will be doing while we are in Ghana:

“I will be educating young mothers in the village of Kodzobi on how to prepare soybeans and introduce them into their childrens’ diets. In addition, I will be working on the education material to make it more accessible to the villagers and the mothers. As a group, we will also be conducting a general health survey in the surrounding villages to gauge a better understanding of what types of programs and projects we can implement in Ho in future years.”
– REEMA GHATNEKAR

“I plan on supporting GlobeMed’s main goal of expanding the nutrition project during our six week stay in Ghana. My individual focus will be on direct patient care, comparing what we are used to in the US to the state of medical treatment in Ho. I want to also compare equipment that relates to patient care, such as instruments that monitor patient activity and those that are used for treating infection.”
– JOEY GILL

“I will be establishing a demonstration farm in Kodzobi, one of the villages closest to the H.O.P.E. Center. There, H.O.P.E. Nurses will hold educational sessions for mothers about the child’s nutritional needs and the values of incorporating soybeans into the diet. They will also be taught how to farm the soybeans. Additionally, I will be implementing a survey across several of the villages near Ho, Ghana asking questions related to sexual health practices to learn if people utilize the H.O.P.E. Center as a medical clinic and what they would like to see offered.”
– KATHLEEN LEINWEBER

“I will be assessing the nutritional needs of expecting mothers in the surrounding villages. I plan on interviewing approximately 30 women, who are either patrons of the Center or have never sought health care services there before. My interviews will assess the nutritional needs, knowledge, and resources available to these women as well as gain a clearer understanding of the cultural beliefs and practices surrounding pregnancy. This project will provide a link between the existing nutrition program and the advent of maternal health services to be offered at the Center in the near future.”
– ALLYSON WESTLING