OUTREACH
CommuCare has multiple programs and activities. Browse by year to see what we have been working on:
2021 2020 2019 2013 2012 2011 2009
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2021
Health Screening at All Nations Breakthrough Church - July 21
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2020
The main purpose of our trip to Ghana was to conduct a community needs assessment to gain a better understanding of the community, its people, its assets, and needs. We (Dr. Mamua Andela and Dr. Ndikum-Moffor) arrived in Accra, Ghana from the US on March 14, 2020, spent the night in Accra, and took a flight the next day from Accra International Airport to Tamale, then to Wa. We were picked up by Rev. Fr. Clement Cobb, and driven to Sawla after being offered a sumptuous lunch. The drive from Wa to Sawla is about 2 hours. The road is paved although there are some rough patches on the road. The drive was very interesting; the vegetation in Northern Ghana is savannah and semi-arid.
Visit to the Guruyiri Primary Roman Catholic School, Sawla - March 15
Construction of a block of classrooms for this school is the main project for this first trip to Ghana. The Guruyiri Primary school is a community school run by the catholic church. The school runs from grades kindergarten (KG) 1, KG2, to primary (P) P4. Students have to transfer to another school to complete elementary school. Elementary school in Ghana runs from kindergarten 1, KG2, primary (P1 to P6). The school serves children in the Guruyiri community. The building currently used for the school is a mudbrick building with no roper doors, windows or sanitary facilities (see photos). The building was donated to the school by a community member over 20 years ago, and the children range from ages 3 -15 years.
The school enrollment is 198 students, but only 90-100 students attend on a regular basis. Classes are from 8 am to 3 pm Mondays through Fridays. School currently has 3 teaches (2 males, 1 female). One teacher is paid by the government, one by the community. Students use uniforms although not all students can afford uniforms. We spoke to one of the teachers, Dominic who is a member of the community and had also attended that school. He currently is also a student at Jackson College in Wa, where he attends classes on Saturdays and Sundays.
The community is a vibrant one with many children, young girls and boys, teenage mothers, and older people. The young people indicated there did not have the opportunity (means) to further their education beyond elementary school. They are hoping a proper school could be built in their community, with amenities such as electricity, water, toilets, school nurse, and sporting equipment.
The school enrollment is 198 students, but only 90-100 students attend on a regular basis. Classes are from 8 am to 3 pm Mondays through Fridays. School currently has 3 teaches (2 males, 1 female). One teacher is paid by the government, one by the community. Students use uniforms although not all students can afford uniforms. We spoke to one of the teachers, Dominic who is a member of the community and had also attended that school. He currently is also a student at Jackson College in Wa, where he attends classes on Saturdays and Sundays.
The community is a vibrant one with many children, young girls and boys, teenage mothers, and older people. The young people indicated there did not have the opportunity (means) to further their education beyond elementary school. They are hoping a proper school could be built in their community, with amenities such as electricity, water, toilets, school nurse, and sporting equipment.
Ghana Elementary School
Visit to Mother and Child Support Center, Sawla - March 17th
Mother and Child Support/Nutrition Centre (MCS/NC) is an ardent development organization in northern region of Ghana. It was started in 2008 by Reverend Sister Jane of the Sister of Mary Immaculate (SMI) in a village called Sirigu in the Upper East Region and later moved to Nakwabi in the Sawla-Tuna-Kaliba District in the Northern Region. The organization’s vision is to protect the right of children and reducing teenage pregnancies in Sawla Tuna Kalba District. These are abandoned and malnourished children, and teenage mothers. MCS/NC acts as a transitional home and reunites children with their rightful families. Teenage mothers are rehabilitated and put through mainstream education or skills training. The center is run by catholic nuns under the leadership of Sr Jane Mary Naalosegme. There is a health center (Donald Richard Memorial Health Center) onsite, with an outpatient clinic, a ward, laboratory, and a dispensary. There is also a 2-bed maternity with 1 delivery room. There are no cots for the babies, so babies share the beds with their moms after delivery. Challenges at the clinic include scarcity of proper accommodation for the clinic staff to rent, transportation, and payroll.
At the time of our visit, the center had 21 kids and 6 teenage girls under their care. Challenges at the child center include lack of supplies (baby formula, diapers), and absence of a school nearby where the children can attend. We were informed that the common health issues among the children were malaria, diarrhea, and cough. The center has land to build a school if the center had the funds to do so. The center has prepared a proposal for the construction and establishment of a kindergarten to primary six to cater for children at the center and other children in the catchment of the organization. The center is looking for sponsors to help fund construction of a school.
At the time of our visit, the center had 21 kids and 6 teenage girls under their care. Challenges at the child center include lack of supplies (baby formula, diapers), and absence of a school nearby where the children can attend. We were informed that the common health issues among the children were malaria, diarrhea, and cough. The center has land to build a school if the center had the funds to do so. The center has prepared a proposal for the construction and establishment of a kindergarten to primary six to cater for children at the center and other children in the catchment of the organization. The center is looking for sponsors to help fund construction of a school.
Ghana Orphanage
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2019
Mammogram Day - Kansas City, Kansas - Catholic Charities - August 31 | September 14
CommuCare organized mammogram days for under-served women in partnership with Catholic Charities. This was the first of three events that Commucare is planning this year to provide breast cancer screening and increase breast cancer awareness among immigrant & refugee women. By bringing the service to the community, the mobile mammography van increases access to breast cancer screening in underserved communities. In partnership with KDHE, KU Medical Center, and Catholic Charities, women were able to get mammograms on August 31st and September 14th. Over 2 dozen women got breast cancer screening at this event. To read more about this event, please read our flyer:
Mammogram Day - Catholic Charities Flyer 2019
Mammogram Day - Catholic Charities Flyer 2019
Mammogram Day | Catholic Charities
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Mammogram Day - Shawnee, KS - All Nations Breakthrough Church - November 2nd
Mammogram Day | All Nations Breakthrough Church
2013
Breast and Cervical Cancer Education for African Women - Olathe, Kansas - May 11, 2013
In celebration of National Women’s Health Week, CommuCare held an educational workshop to increase women’s awareness of breast and cervical cancer. Women were empowered with knowledge about cancer risk factors, symptoms and available resources for screening. To read more about this event, please read our newsletter:
Breast & Cervical Cancer Education Workshop
Breast & Cervical Cancer Education Workshop
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Mammogram Day 2013 - August 17, 2013
Mammogram Day
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Breast Cancer Awareness Event at Breakthrough Community Church, Shawnee, Kansas - October 27, 2013
Breast Cancer Awareness Event
2012
Breast Cancer Educational Workshop - Olathe, Kansas – August 4, 2012
CommuCare Services Inc. began its outreach to black African-born women on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012 in efforts to help reduce breast cancer rates among this population.
Please read our newsletter:
8.4.12 training newsletter
Please read our newsletter:
8.4.12 training newsletter
2011
Visit to HOTPEC Orphanage, Lower Bokova - Buea, South West Region, Cameroon, Africa – August 30, 2011
The Hephzibah Handicapped and Orphanage Training, Production and Ecstasy Centre (HOTPEC), is a non-governmental, non-denominational and non-political organisation conceived by Rev Tanne Zadock Mugri in 1983. HOTPEC started in 1995 with 5 children; 3 orphans, 2 handicapped and is managed by Rev. Tanne and his wife. The orphanage is home to over 80 children, who live there until they are fourteen years old, being trained in skills that will allow them a better chance in their adult lives. The orphanage is privately run and relies on what they can produce for themselves and donations made from abroad. Projects in the Cameroon unlike some areas of Africa receives very little funding. During the visit, CommuCare donated personal care items and first aid supplies for children and adults.
Visit to HOTPEC Orphanage
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Cameroon Association of Greater Kansas City Family Day - June 2011
Every year, the Cameroon Association of Greater Kansas City organizes a Family Day where Cameroonians and their families and friends go to a park for a day of fun. Activities usually include a barbeque, soccer match between Cameroonians on the Kansas side of the State Line versus those on the Missouri side, children’s games and dance competitions, etc. Cameroonians use this occasion to share their culture (food, music, games, traditional outfit) with friends from other cultures.
Cameroon Association of Greater Kansas City Family Day
2009
Visit to Catholic Elementary School - Ngeme, South West Region, Cameroon, Africa – March 2009
The name of the school is Catholic School, Ngeme – located in the South West region of Cameroon, West Africa. It is an elementary school with a total enrollment of about 140 students. Most of the children are from poor families. The cost of enrolling one student is about $30 a year, yet most families cannot afford it. The Head Teacher provided CommuCare with a list of their needs, and CommuCare will be working to provide these items and help to improve the health and wellbeing of children in that elementary school.
Catholic Elementary School
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