Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) trains 400 health personnel from 93 Hospitals across Ghana (2)
The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) from 8th to 30th June 2020, has trained health personnel from 93 Hospitals across Ghana on infection prevention, control and case management. 400 health personnel (Pharmacists, Nurses, Administrators, etc) have benefited from the training.
The training which were undertaken in three zones of the country were held as follows:
Southern Zone - Eastern region (Larteh): 8-12th June 2020
Northern Zone - Northern region (Tamale): 15-17 June 2020
Middle Zone - Bono region (Sunyani): 22 - 30 June 2020
Training in session
Speaking at the opening session in the southern zonal training session, Dr. James Duah, Deputy CEO of CHAG explained that:
"health workers are among the most vulnerable in this pandemic. This training is therefore critical for equipping health workers with the skills and knowledge to protect themselves from the disease, and continue to be healthy to serve Ghanaians in a collective drive towards ending the spread of the virus. CHAG has made available facilities for the 400 personnel to in turn train other staff in their respective facilities. Additionally, a total of 693 other personnel from Clinics and Health Centres will be trained online. CHAG has made available PPE and other COVID-19 commodities for the training".
Speaking at a training session in Sunyani (Bono region), Dr. Mary Eyram Ashinyo, Deputy Director, Quality Assurance Unit of the Ghana Health Service noted that the Ghana Health is prioritizing training of Health Workers during these times.
"We are therefore very happy about this partnership with CHAG which has afforded us opportunity to reach more health workers with much needed knowledge on infection prevention and control", she said.
Dr. James Duah thanked STAR-Ghana Foundation, UKAid and European Union for responding to their call for partnership to respond to the pandemic.
STAR Ghana Foundation responds to COVID-19: Outdoors six projects
STAR Ghana Foundation in response to the global call of support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has launched a managed call to support selected CSOs to complement efforts by government and other stakeholders to prevent the spread of the virus, and mitigate the effects and risks of the pandemic on vulnerable and marginalised social groups.
The event was streamed live on Facebook.
The virtual launch, which formally outdoors the Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Projects was held on Tuesday, 28th April 2020 on the theme: `The Role of Civil Society in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic.` The event was streamed live on Microsoft Teams and on Facebook via the accounts of STAR Ghana Foundation and that of two major media partners: Citi Fm and Joy News Channel.
The Executive Director of STAR Ghana Foundation, Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu presented an overview of the project and expressed appreciation to the funders of the Project – Department for International Development (DFID), Ghana.
“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic particularly in Ghana, STAR Ghana Foundation approached DFID our main donor for support, in order to work with other civil society partners to respond to the pandemic…to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on especially venerable people. With funding of approximately 4.8 million Ghana Cedis from DFID and other donors, STAR Ghana Foundation is working in partnership with other strategic partners, who will also work with a number of sub-partners to roll out the project across the length and breadth of this country”
File photo: Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, Executive Director, STAR Ghana Foundation
He recounted the objectives of the STAR Ghana Foundation’s intervention as follows:
Increase access to accurate, timely, inclusive and relevant information on Covid-19 and response actions
Inclusion and active participation of GESI-groups in all stages of the pandemic fight (value-chain)
Increase the transparency, responsiveness, and accountability around the development and implementation of Covid-19 response plans, including the utilisation of resources across the country
Document and share the learning around CSO support in the Covid-19 response
File photo: Nana Asantewa Afadzinu, Executive Director, WACSI (left) with Clara Osei Boateng, Governance Advisor, DFID (right)
Speaking on the theme: The Role of Civil Society in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic, Nana Asantewa Afadzinu, Executive Director of the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) proposed eight key solutions to the fight against the pandemic from the CSO front. These included the call for flexible partnership, better coordination, and collaboration among CSOs. She commended STAR Ghana Foundation for the initiative and called for the support of the government and the private sector in the implementation of the project.
“ We need to build partnerships between civil society and other development stakeholders, and have a broader understanding of who makes up civil society and how they could effectively work together… once again, let me commend STAR Ghana Foundation for this initiative. We call on government and the private sector to support this project”
Mr. Peter Yeboah, Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana, speaking on behalf of the project grant partners presented a statement of partnership. He expressed an appreciation to STAR Ghana Foundation and its donors for providing an opportunity and space for civil society to be actively involved in the fight against COVID-19.
“May I express my appreciation to STAR Ghana Foundation and its collaborators the UKAID for acting as a convenor, moderator, and partners for civil society inclusion in the fight against COVID-19."
File photo: Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye, Chair of the Governing Council of STAR Ghana Foundation
The Chair of the Governing Council of STAR Ghana Foundation, Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye in her closing remarks expressed her gratitude to UKAID and all the partners and organisers of the event after she had shared a summary of her learning from the event. She said:
“Ladies and gentlemen, it has become abundantly clear from all the submissions that have been made in this room that there are things to be done. Three big things… education; decentralization of efforts; and mobilization of efforts and resources. Education is critical and we need to understand that there are people who are still in absolute denial… there’s a lot of of work to be done by decentralization of effort not only by government but even in civil society… we must work assiduously to get to the lowest level possible and this is where the principle of subsidiarity is very important. Anything that can be done at the community level, we should allow it to be done at that level and in that process we are able to utilise our resources optimally.”
The event was moderated by Teiko Sabah, Ag. Head of Policy and Programmes, STAR Ghana Foundation.
The Impact of Covid-19 on African Civil Society Organisations: Challenges, Responses and Opportunities
This report fills a critical knowledge gap and offers funders, governments, the private sector and other key stakeholders data-based evidence to inform their engagement with African CSOs, both during and after the pandemic. It also provides CSOs with a tool to help strengthen solidarity and inform advocacy for greater recognition and support for the sector.
The objectives of the survey were four-fold:
Assess the negative impact of the pandemic on the funding and operations of CSOs
Understand how CSOs are coping and responding to these challenges Highlight CSOs’ involvement in national responses to the pandemic
Identify opportunities emerging from the crisis and the lessons learned. The report presents a snapshot of the impact of COVID-19 on African CSOs, as well as the many ways that they are responding to the crisis while safeguarding their organizations.
It also highlights opportunities that emerged from the crisis and crucial challenges which need to be addressed in support of the recovery and sustainability of African CSOs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March 2020. While Africa still accounts for relatively few deaths, the numbers are rising. Governments in Africa and elsewhere have instituted wide-ranging measures to curb the spread of the disease including travel restrictions, night-time curfews, the banning of large gatherings and social distancing. These measures had swift and dramatic social and economic consequences for all sectors of society, including civil society organizations (CSOs).
CSOs have a long tradition of performing crucial developmental, humanitarian and advocacy functions across Africa, often under challenging conditions. As a result, there can’t be any effective response to COVID-19 without the involvement of CSOs. However, at a time when their contributions are more critical than ever, they are also confronted with the negative impact of the pandemic on their operations and sustainability.
This report is the first of its kind to focus exclusively on the impact of COVID-19 on African CSOs. It is based on a survey conducted by @AfricanNGOs and EPIC-Africa between 29 April and 15 May 2020. STAR-Ghana Foundation participated in this survey.
