With generous funding from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Project HOPE-MCH launched in Accra, Ghana on 21 August 2024. The project, a collaborative effort between Catholic Relief Services (CRS), The Hunger Project (THP), Medicine for All People (MAP), Vitamin Angels, and other charitable organizations partnering with Ghana Health Services (GHS), the National Ambulalnce Serice (NAS), and various governmental agencies, aims to improve the health, safety, and well-being of pregnant women, mothers, and children in Ghana.
At an event held in a packed conference room, stakeholders, sponsors, project personnel, government officials, and others gathered to kick-off the Holistic Opportunities for Positive Engagement in Maternal and Child Health (HOPE-MCH) project in Ghana. Funding for the project came from a portion of the larger donation of US$55.8 million that the Church has committed to be used worldwide to fund similar projects. Targeting maternal and infant mortalities during childbirth as well as health concerns for mothers and for children under 3 years of age, the multi-faceted HOPE-MCH project will provide increased accessibility to health and nutrition services and products as well as education to change behaviour in the underserved communities of Ghana. Additionally, a component of the project will address needs of the disabled.
In certain remote villages in Ghana without phone or internet services, and in geographically challenging areas, expectant mothers in labour are unable to procure an ambulance. In such circumstances, they frequently have to be transported long distances, while in labour, on motorbikes to receive care. A lack of access to trained professionals for emergency situations in these remote areas often results in mothers and newborns dying before they get the help they need. Water needed during delivery is frequently procured from polluted nearby streams and ponds resulting in infections and diseases being transmitted through the dirty water. Nutrition for infants and toddlers has been severely lacking, resulting in rampant malnutrition and sick children.
The HOPE-MCH project tackles these and several other issues by partnering with emergency transport systems to provide local terrain-friendly low-cost transportation services; by working with government and others to provide clean water boreholes and wells and to implement proper disposal of waste; by offering training and education for local healthcare providers; by providing greater local access to medication, health and medical products and services; by offering nutrition education; and much, much more. The collaboration among local charitable institutions has received broad government support with the intent that eventually the communities being served by the project will take charge of their own development and will be empowered to change their situation.
While there has been a concerted effort to address these problems, funding has been a significant issue. The donation by the Church has made these life-saving products and services a reality where previously they were only dreams. Throughout the presentations at the launch event, participants voiced profound gratitude to the project collaborators and to The Church for the funding that made the project possible. As expressed by a member of Parliament, “I say a very big thank you to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I say a very big thank you to CRS for their collaboration and the support they intend to give.”
Elder Flint Ekyem Mensah, Director for Temporal Affairs in the Africa West Area, explained The Church’s motivation in supporting such projects: “As followers of Jesus Christ, the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, where he fed 5000 people, healed the sick, and ministered to the poor and the needy, provides profound lessons for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Inspired by these examples, Church members strive to care for those in need. Through volunteer service, collaboration with organizations, and donations, The Church extends aid and services worldwide. With a focus on fostering self-reliance, the gospel principles are the foundation of The Church’s humanitarian efforts.”
Through The Church's funding and the collaboration of many charitable organizations, the project is projected to benefit 16,433 women and 12,173 children under age 3, to train 835 community health workers, and to equip 105 health facilities.