Background

ACDEP health unit is responsible for the development and implementation of the organization’s health interventions. The unit implements its programme largely through its network church-based Primary Health Care (PHC) members whose operational areas are mostly rural.

The health unit supports these Primary Health Care Programmes to reach out to communities in new and innovative ways, exploring the use of communities own resources and capabilities. The added value of ACDEP health programme to these primary health care programmes rest in the unit’s role of identifying the gaps in these programmes and bridging them through innovative and complementary interventions.The aim ultimate aim of ACDEP health Unit is to promote effective, efficient and sustainable health care that and meets the needs of communities whilst empowering them.

Purpose:

To enhance the adoption of innovative and complementary community -based health care approaches into the health delivery system

Objectives:

1. To strengthen the mainstreaming of adolescent reproductive health activities into the primary health care programme of 9 ACDEP members
2. To strengthen and consolidate the linkage between Traditional Medicine and 14 Orthodox Health Practitioner and improve the practice of 700 traditional medicine practitioners for better health care in 100 rural communities
3. Strengthen the capacity of 300 TBAs as change agents in promoting maternal health in 100 rural communities in Northern Ghana
4. To improve the nutritional status of 1,000 children aged 2-5 years within the catchment area of 12 ACDEP- member PHC programme

project desired outcomes

1. Effectively mainstreamed adolescent reproductive health programme in place at nine (9) ACDEP-member PHC programmes
2. Linkage between seven (700) traditional medicine practitioners and fourteen (14) health facilities strengthened
3. Three regional associations and one apex associations of traditional medicine practitioners strengthened
4. Three hundred (300) traditional birth attendants trained and linked to twelve (12) ACDEP- member PHC programmes
5. Reduce Maternal deaths by 20 % in project catchment area
6. ACDEP Health Unit’s capacity and advocacy role strengthened
7. Experiences and lessons learned documented (electronic and print) and shared with partners, collaborators, and other agencies through workshops, publications, audio-visuals and website

Implementation Strategy

This project seeks to firm up the mainstreaming results and process of ACDEP Health Programme Phase II whilst charting a new course for ACDEP Health Unit by:

1. Addressing the gaps identified in ACDEP Health programme Phase II to ensure effective mainstreaming of the programme components
2. Strengthening the Traditional Medicine Project in the Upper West Region
3. Piloting the Nutrition and Maternal Health components of the project for possible upscale
4. Strengthening ACDEP’s Advocacy actions on Traditional Medicine and Maternal Health
5. Exploring the use of Information Communication Technology tools to strengthen project components
6. Strengthening the capacity of ACDEP health unit for effective programming, documentation and publication

Key Activities

Adolescent Reproductive Health Project

• Formation of in-school and out of school adolescent health clubs
• Training of peer educators
• Training of club coordinators (school teachers)
• Training of health staff
• Establishing adolescent corners/ICT4D centers
• Providing adolescent friendly SRH services and Information

Traditional Medicine Project

• Identification and training of traditional medicine practitioners
• Holding Interface/experience sharing platforms for health facility staff and Traditional Medicine Practitioners
• Facilitation of registration of TMPs with GHAFTRAM and traditional medicine council

Maternal Health Project

• Provision of Tricycle Ambulance
• Training of Traditional Birth Attendants
• Provision of Emergency Delivery Kits to Traditional Birth Attendants
• Provision of colored arm bracelets to promote Antenatal Attendance
• Establishing linkages between Traditional Birth Attendants and Midwives at health facilities

Nutrition Project

• Nutrition educationCooking demonstrationsTraining of mother to mother support groups

Connect for Change (C4C)

• Training of Project Staff in ICT skills
• Procurement and Deployment of ICT equipment at project sites to facilitate health care delivery services and community health promotion
• Establishment of Health Management Information System (HMIS)
• Provision of Technical Backstopping

Project Scope

The health unit has a network membership of fifteen(15) Church-based Primary Health Care programmes in Northern Ghana. Currently, ten (10) ACDEP-member PHCs are actively engaged in the implementation of various projects in nine(9) districts in Northern and Upper East Regions. In the Upper West Region, ACDEP collaborates with Ghana Health Service (GHS) to implement its programme.

Northern Region

• Kpandai District
• East Mamprusi District
• West Mamprusi District

Upper East Region

• Bongo District
• Nabdam District
• TalensiDistrict
• Garu-Tempane District
• Pusiga District
• Builsa North District

Upper West Region

• Jirapa District

Staff Strength on project

Three (3):

• Programme Manager
• Project Officer
• Field Officer
• CORDAID
• IICD
• TTC

4.      details of contact person (Programme Head)

Esenam Kavi (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) who is currently the Team Leader of the Health Unit joined ACDEP in January 2008. She is responsible for the development, Implementation and Management of the health sector programme. She holds a BSc in Community Nutrition from the University for Development Studies, an MSc in Managing Rural Development from the University of London and a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) from the Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam. She has over eight (8) years of experience in health development in Northern Ghana.

Projects