Obidan

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Obidan is located near the coast in the Central Region of  Ghana.  A typical home in Obidan is made of bricks, wood, or mud. People in Obidan are primarily dedicated to farming. There is a kindergarten, primary school, and junior high school in Obidan. The nearest health clinic is in the nearby community of Suprudo. About 50% of the community has access to water through piped water from the Ghana Water Company. Approximately 1% of homes have their own toilet facilities, leaving most families to use the few public toilets or practice open defecation. There is no existing rural bank in Obidan that offers savings and loans services. The community expressed that their top needs are a market, toilets, and a community center.

District: Ekumfi

Region: Central

Homes : 130
Population : 452
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Midwife at clinic : N/A
Homes with toilet facility : 1%
Education : Up to junior high
Distance from nearest GB Lodging Facility : 30-60 minutes

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS:

There are two types of public health clinics available to rural Ghanaians: Health Centers and Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds. Health Centers serve large geographic areas within a district and are staffed by physicians. CHPS compounds serve small clusters of communities and are staffed by live-in nurses. The nurses provide basic services and, if capacity allows, they conduct home visits to families in the communities. 

Even with this coverage, it is important to note that medications, equipment, and essential infrastructure are often not available in these clinics and the physician density in Ghana remains around 0.2 physicians per 1,000 people. According to the World Health Organization, there should be a minimum of 2.3 physicians per 1,000 people to qualify a country as having adequate access to medical attention.

Another key factor for health care access in Ghana is insurance. Ghana’s National Health Insurance plan offers universal coverage, but few rural community members are actively enrolled. During Medical Brigades, community members are educated about the benefits of health insurance, and are encouraged to enroll (or re-enroll) in the National Health Insurance Plan.

Obidan does not have its own CHPS compound, but community members are served by the nearby Suprudo CHPS zone compound. The most common illnesses in Obidan is malaria.

*These statistics reflect data from historical Medical Brigades in Obidan. Medical Brigades are now held in the community of Suprudo, where community members from Obidan attend mobile clinics.

30

Volunteers

617

Patient Consultations

N/A

Vision Screenings Provided

16

Health Education Workshops

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Suprudo CHPS Compound where patients from Obidan attend brigades

Community members in Obidan attend Medical Brigade clinics hosted in Suprudo’s CHPS compound. Volunteers assist local doctors and community nurses to serve patients at each station of the clinic. More information is available on the Suprudo profile.

MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS IN OBIDAN:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook Medical Brigade May 2014 30

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

OBIDAN’S WATER CHALLENGE:

One of the major challenges for the development of the community was lack of access to clean, sufficient water. Community members, mostly women and children, were forced to make numerous trips per day to local streams to retrieve and carry untreated water back to their homes. Contamination was often an issue for these low flowing, and often stagnant streams, negatively impacting the health of the community.

*No volunteers participated in this program’s work, but this program was completed through the generous support and partnership of the Ghana Water Company.

0*

Volunteers

631

Project Beneficiaries

3

Standpipes constructed

1

Kilometers of pipeline installed

The inauguration of new standpipes in Obidan

OBIDAN’S WATER SOLUTION:

The Ghana Water Company is in charge of water distribution and treatment in the region where Obidan is located. In 2016, Global Brigades worked with the GWC to modify and expand its distribution infrastructure to get treated water to strategic points within Obidan where 3 standpipes were built. These standpipes give the 631 community members living in Obidan, access to clean water, and meet the standards of the World Health Organization. By placing them in areas near the population, families spend less time and energy retrieving water for use in their homes.

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Obidan but has not yet begun with the Business Brigades program. Now in the planning phase, a market study and the establishment of a community business will start as soon as feasible.

Community Bank : No
Community Bank Members : N/A
Economic Activities : farming
Existing Microenterprises : No

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Obidan but has not yet begun with the Public Health Brigades program. Now in the planning phase, implementation of a public health solution will start as soon as feasible.

Homes with toilet facility : 1%
Common house materials : wood, mud bricks

Local Reference Points

View the map to see the closest volunteer lodging facilities, hospitals, and other relevant points of reference.

  • Feature