Canada has contributed US$ 8 million as part of a strategic partnership with the Government of Ghana and UNICEF to strengthen lifesaving health, nutrition and sanitation services for children and women, especially among vulnerable groups, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The programme will focus on Ghana’s Ashanti Region, which currently has the second-highest number of reported COVID-19 cases1 to date.
It will strengthen the region’s capacity to diagnose and treat COVID-19 patients through the provision of training and supplies, including digital tablets, protective gear for frontline health workers, oxygen therapy equipment, laboratory equipment for regional laboratories and health clinics. This will facilitate more efficient case management, data capturing, monitoring and follow up.
“This COVID-19 Response Partnership has come at the right time. It will enhance the region’s preparedness in infection prevention, build the capacity of health workers, and provide the needed critical COVID-19 diagnosis, management, and provision of essential health services to women and children. The entire Regional Health leadership appreciates this gesture and will ensure the successful implementation of this collaboration,” said Ashanti Regional Director of
Health Services, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang.
By engaging with community health committee members and mobilizing traditional and religious leaders, the Government and UNICEF will work together to address social norms and gender stereotypes. This, in turn, will empower girls and women, elevate gender equality, and increase the demand for quality maternal and neonatal care, good infant and young children feeding practices, safe water, sanitation and hygiene. It will also aid in preventing the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
“It is clear that women and girls are being disproportionally affected by the pandemic. Canada is proud to support UNICEF and the Government of Ghana in addressing gender inequalities in their work to prevent and respond to COVID-19. This will help us all achieve the ambitious 1 As at June 6 2020, https://www.ghanahealthservice.org/covid19/ targets set out through the Sustainable Development Goals,” said H.E. Kati Csaba, High Commissioner of Canada to Ghana.
Frontline health workers in Ashanti Region will receive training, including 2,000 community health nurses, 2,500 midwives, 100 environmental health and sanitation officers, and 700 community health committee members. In addition, three hundred health clinics and 30 public spaces will upgrade their water and sanitation facilities. This will help to curtail the spread of the virus and to ensure continued and improved health, water, sanitation, and hygiene services
in Ghana’s most populous region, where 5,924,498 people reside.
This strategic partnership will provide policy guidance, planning and technical assistance, in close collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and other related government agencies at the district, regional and national levels.
“Strengthening preparedness, primary healthcare and integrated services across sectors can save lives now and help boost progress towards universal healthcare, as well as gender equality. We are delighted to partner with the Governments of Ghana and Canada to have a positive impact in the lives of the most vulnerable children and women,” said Anne-Claire Dufay, UNICEF Representative in Ghana.
About Global Affairs Canada
Global Affairs Canada leads the delivery of Canada’s international and humanitarian assistance. Through its Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada works with its partners to promote gender equality and empower women and girls to help eradicate poverty and build a more peaceful and prosperous world. For more information about Global Affairs Canada and its work, visit www.international.gc.ca. Follow the High Commission of Canada to Ghana on Twitter and Facebook.
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org/Ghana.
Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook.
