Future Programs
Village Health Screenings
Health screenings are an effective way to assess specific health needs of communities. The current Sefe NGO (see partnerships) currently performs 1-2 health screenings per month in villages of the Akatsi District. Their ability to treat the illnesses they screen for, however, is limited. In the near future we would like to expand the screening programs in number, scope, and post-screening treatment.
AIDS Prevalence Research and Treatment
It is clear that AIDS is not as endemic in Ghana as in other sub-Saharan African nations. It exists, however, and the prevalence in the Akatsi District is unknown at this time. AIDS treatments are not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme. The lack of both understanding of the extent the disease has spread and the availability of treatment options makes this a possible area of future development.
Family Planning
Contraception is not widely used in Ghana. Consequently many unwanted pregnancies occur. In the rural areas, women often have 5 or more children, simply because they have no means of contraception. In a more general sense this lack of contraception is leading to the dramatic population boom seen in Africa today. Often times the stress that so many children in one family places on the providers limits the opportunities for those very children. It is difficult for them to go to school because they must work the farms to feed the growing family. This often pressures the family to have even more children to help provide, which increases the number of mouths to feed and the situation is worsened. It is an important goal of the RDP to address issues of family planning.