Child Welfare Outreach Clinic

One of the highlights for me of our clinical experience was the day Bryan and I travelled with Nurse Comfort to a child welfare outreach clinic in the village of Old Akrade. When we arrived at the clinic that morning the midwives asked us if we could canoe. Of course we said “yes!” – and we were soon off on our outreach adventure. (Little did we know that canoeing across the Volta River without a lifejacket would break Global Volunteer policy. We found out – and were scolded! – after the fact, but it was well worth it.) Across the river we hiked the path to the village and arrived to find at least thirty mothers and children already waiting at the clinic...a shaded area under a patch of trees. They brought their own chairs and patiently waited as we got organized. In the Ghanaian health system each child has a booklet in which they keep track of weight, immunizations, and any illnesses the child may experience. The outreach clinic goes to this village only once a month, so it was a busy morning of weighing babies (by hanging them in trees!), giving immunizations, and recording all of this information in each child’s booklet. If a child was not gaining weight properly, the mother was counseled on feeding strategies or the child was referred to the hospital for further care. It was a great day of learning and I was struck with amazement at the great pride and commitment with which mothers care for their children in this part of the world.
--Molly