Otabanadze

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Otabanadze is located near the coast in the Central Region of  Ghana.  The main economic activities in Otabanadze are primarily dedicated to farming and pottery production. Community members have access to school from kindergarten through junior-high school. Currently, the community uses boreholes, standpipes, and wells to access water. About 60 percent of houses in the community have access to safe and clean drinking water. Only around 4% of homes have their own toilet facilities, meaning most families must rely on the few public toilets or practice open defecation. There is no community bank in Otabandze to provide savings and loans services. The community expressed that their top needs are a community center, teacher’s quarters for the schools, and improvements to the drainage system.

District: Ekumfi

Region: Central

Homes : 208
Population : 834
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Yes
Health Clinic : Yes
Midwife at clinic : No
Homes with toilet facility : 4%
Education : Up To Junior High School
Distance from Lodging Facility : 45 - 75 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.

Otabanadze does not have its own CHPS compound, but community members are served by the nearby Ekrawfo CHPS zone. The top 3 most common illnesses reported in Otabanadze are: malaria, chest infection, anemia.

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

98

Volunteers*

546

Patient Consultations*

121

Vision Screenings Provided*

44

Health Education Workshops*

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Ekrawfo CHPS compound where patients from Otabanadze attend clinics

Community members in Otabanadze attend Medical Brigade clinics hosted in Ekrawfo’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 Ekrawfo profile.

MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS IN OTABANADZE:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of California Davis Medical Brigade March 2013 12
CUNY City College – Sophie Davis School Medical Brigade August 2013 30
University of Arizona Medical Brigade May 2014 30
University of Washington Professional Schools Medical July 2022 26
North Texas Medical July 2022 26

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

OTABANADZE’S WATER CHALLENGE:

When GB Ghana began its partnership with Otabanadze, the community had a well built in 1951 and a bore hole built in 2003. The water that came from the bore hole was very salty. During the dry season the well and bore hole would dry up, and the community members used to have to get their water from a river in the neighboring community of Ekrawfo. All maintenance of the water system is carried out by community members.

1,041

Project Beneficiaries

4

Standpipes constructed

N/A

Volunteers

1

Kilometers of Pipeline Installed

The inauguration of new standpipes in Otabanadze

OTABANADZE’S WATER SOLUTION:

In 2017, Global Brigades collaborated with the Ghana Water Company and installed four public standpipes in Otabanadze to provide access to clean drinking water in the community. The water standpipes come from a nearby modern drinking water treatment plant and is high quality.  A Water Committee will be trained in the community to maintain and administrate the stand-pipes.

 

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

OTABANDZE’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

Rural communities in Ghana face a number of structural obstacles when it comes to economic growth. Access to credit is limited by physical barriers in transportation and exclusion from formal financial institutions. If community members aren’t able to access these institutions, their only option is to solicit credit from loan sharks, who charge exorbitant interest rates. Additionally, maintaining savings is not a common practice in rural communities in Ghana.

5

Volunteers

N/A

Savings accounts opened

N/A

Loans Disbursed

N/A

Capital Invested

OTABANDZE’S MICRO-FINANCE SOLUTION

The GB Business Program works with Microfin Rural Bank to stimulate the local economy by organizing community volunteers around a community bank which is entirely owned and operated by its members. Focusing on providing access to credit and savings for their fellow community members, its volunteers are tasked with socializing the community bank and managing the funds. Microfin and the GB Business Program provides training and support to help strengthen these community banks and stimulate the flow of capital within the community. These financial services are especially beneficial for subsistence farmers and entrepreneurs, who can invest more heavily in their production with a loan, pay back the loan after sales, and generate an income with any excess.

Otabandze has not yet established a Microfin “MHope group,” but will begin as soon as feasible. The shareholders of the MHope group will weekly to deposit savings and manage loans which are approved by all the bank’s members.

OTABANDZE’S BUSINESS SOLUTION

In addition to working with the community banks, the Business Program provides support and technical skills in establishing anchor businesses that generate additional capital. The goal is to better integrate isolated communities into the local economy and allow for growth. During this process, interested community members receive training to increase their familiarity with business terminology, develop their business administration skills, and promote innovation and diversification in the types of business ventures they pursue.

In Otabandze, volunteers consult with Amanor’s Pottery, an family-owned artisan pottery business (pictured left) that produces earthen ware for the Ekumfi area.

 

 

BUSINESS VOLUNTEERS IN OTABANADZE:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Texas Austin Business Brigade January 2019 5

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Otabandze 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 toilets : 4%
Common house materials : bricks, mud, wood

Local Reference Points

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

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