MedPLUS just received the exciting news that we have been selected by the trustees of the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation to receive a $15,000 grant to build a nutrition rehabilitation center in Lawra, a rural community in northwest Ghana. The nutrition rehabilitation center will provide both outreach preventative care and nutrition education to mothers and children, as well as in-patient children’s malnutrition care for children. The mission of the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation is to support organizations that serve vulnerable children, and their website can be found here: http://www.dhrossfoundation.org/
Children in Lawra, Ghana
Ghana’s national malnutrition rate of 22.1% masks severe regional disparities, with 33% of children in northern regions (such as Lawra) under age five classified as underweight and 48% of children in northern regions under age five classified as stunted.
Poster on Nutrition Outside MOH
Over the past few years, plans for the children’s nutrition rehabilitation center have been developed in partnership with the directors and medical staff of Lawra District Hospital and government officials from the District Assembly of Lawra. It has been heartbreaking to know that our Ghanaian healthcare partners have the skills, local knowledge, and desire to address the needs of malnourished children, but lack access to funding to cover construction expenses. I am ecstatic that these funds will allow us to fulfill our commitment to making the center a reality!
If you are interested in volunteering your time to help with this project, please email medplusconnect@gmail.com
Emma