VPWA sponsors needy families in rural Ghana for Health Insurance

Post date: Apr 07, 2010 12:34:49 AM

Volunteer Partnerships for West Africa (VPWA), a non-governmental organization that operates in diverse thematic areas, is helping families in Ghana’s Eastern Region improve their health prospects and build towards a brighter future.

Over 30 families and 120 individuals from Amanase, near Suhum won a selection process to have their annual premiums for the nationwide health insurance scheme paid for by VPWA. The move, the first of its kind for the organization in the region, aims to reduce the financial burden on some of Ghana’s poorest communities.

Mr Simon Bobby, a senior member of grassroots organization Action Youth Club in Amanase who led the scheme’s selection process, said: ‘The people benefiting from this scheme are extremely poor and are not able to even afford three square meals. Some of them have suffered deformities from infections they could not afford to treat at their local clinic. By paying their health contributions, we aim to break this vicious cycle of poverty.”

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, 68 year old mother-of-four, Rose Femega, expressed her gratitude to VPWA and it donors for extending a helping hand to them and their families.

Meanwhile, VPWA Executive Director Mr Hayford Siaw, called on oganizations in Africa to adopt a holistic approach to eradicating poverty and urged them to make judicious use of grants and donor money they receive.

He told his audience: “VPWA does not just give handouts to people because they are poor. The aim is to empower those who have strength to work to be able to have decent lives and pay for their own health insurance premiums.”

In this regard, he pledged to extend the VPWA Microfinance scheme and skills training projects to the community of Amanase and support those beneficiaries of the VPWA Health Insurance fund who have strength to be trained in various skills and offered loans to participate in the local economy.

The VPWA Health Insurance Fund is an accumulated resources of 7.5% contributions from VPWA Volunteers and fundraising activities organized by its international volunteers.

Editor’s note:

For more information on VPWA activities in Ghana, contact info@vpwa.org.

Coordinators in Europe are: Katharina Faber and Andreas Wicket and can be contacted on europe@vpwa.org . North America Coordinator: Steve Wilson (wilson@vpwa.org). Australia: Catherine Jones (cath@vpwa.org)