RDP
Human Factor Leadership Academy: Rural Development Project
Seeking to improve the quality of life for those living in rural villages by empowering these communities through education.
Vision
“Love requires that true education should be easily accessible to all and should be of use to every villager in their daily life.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
While health care services exists for the people of the Akatsi District in Ghana, many in the rural areas go without due to poor roads, lack of resources, and gaps in knowledge. As a division of the International Institute for Human Factor Development (IIHFD), the Rural Development Project (RDP) seeks to empower these rural communities through education. We will begin by educating a small group of qualified leaders who are passionate about improving health care and bringing change to the rural villages of the Akatsi District. These leaders will then share their awareness with selected women from each village. As knowledge spreads, people will be empowered to implement change.
Who We Are
“So I can't show you how, exactly, health care is a basic human right. But what I can argue is that no one should have to die of a disease that is treatable.”
-Paul Farmer
As individuals pursuing careers in health care, we have been struck by the inequity that exists in health care systems around the world. Learning this inequity first from the literature, and then first hand in developing countries, we are passionate about playing a role in bringing accessible health care to people who would otherwise be without service. Each individual has a right to health care and we are committed to seeing this basic human right actualized in Ghana and around the world.
Jason Kroening
First and foremost I am passionate about the poor. From all I have read and seen I can not make sense of the disparity that exists between the wealthy and the poor. Too many people die or suffer from preventable diseases and situations—people no different than you or I.
This is what compelled me into medicine. I am currently a medical student studying at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. I plan to pursue a Masters in Public Health upon completion of my MD. I have traveled to Africa and India and desire to devote much of my adult and professional life to working with and on behalf of the poor.
Greg Pollard
While attending Point Loma Nazarene University as a student of nursing I was introduced to rural community health teaching during a trip to tea plantation villages in Sri Lanka. The importance of education to promote health and prevent illness in under-served and developing communities compelled my interest. During the summer of 2008 I traveled to Ghana to help conduct the Child Health Assessment with Jason. I am convinced that sustainable and quality interventions to increase the well-being of individuals and communities is possible with HFLA. Currently, I am employed with Scripps Memorial Hospital as a Cardiac ICU RN in La Jolla, California.
Olivia Roche
Upon completion of nursing school at PLNU l, I decided to spend some time living in Ghana and learning about life and healthcare in a developing country. I was involved in a beautiful grass roots program called Kekeli, which in Ewe means 'brightness'. This program embodies many things I hold true about healthcare in rural areas; the education and empowerment of women is invaluable in, change comes slowly but this in no way negatives its power, and while the inequities in health are grand, it is up to each of us to start somewhere.
My time in Ghana encouraged me to continue my plan to pursue a career in Women's Health, and to begin graduate school at San Diego State University to become a Certified Nurse Midwife/Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner.
Partnerships
It is vital in any project that unmet needs are met, but that wheels are not re-invented in the process. We believe that fundamental to the success of this project is the utilization of partnerships. The RDP will place a strong emphasis on joining projects already on the ground in Akatsi and finding innovative ways to support and expand their work.
Human Factor Leadership Academy (HFLA): Our project will be fully integrated with the work of the HFLA in Akatsi. The nursing program of the academy and the RDP will work together to provide both education for the students and services to the rural communities.
Sefe Clinic NGO: This organization conducts health screenings and educational events on a small scale about twice each month. They are limited only by resources. We plan to work closely with this group to greatly expand what is being done to serve the rural villages of the district.
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