For thousands of people across northern Ghana, a condition that once meant years of pain, disability, stigma and uncertainty has instead become a story of healing.
Team of Hope Ghana, a community-based, non-profit health organisation, is marking 10 years of providing free surgical and medical care to underserved communities in the Upper East and North East regions. What began as the vision of one volunteer doctor has grown into an initiative that has performed more than 7,000 free surgeries and restored health and dignity to thousands of patients.
Founded by Dr. Benjamin Akinkang, a specialist in laboratory medicine and lecturer at the University for Development Studies School of Medicine, the organisation was born out of a deeply personal commitment to give back to the community that raised him while fulfilling the final wish of his late father.
“This mission started as a way of honouring a dying father’s wish. He always instilled patriotism in us and admonished us not to abandon our community as we grew,” Dr. Akinkang said.
The journey began modestly at Sandema Municipal Hospital, where Dr. Akinkang spent weeks conducting surgical outreach programmes on his own.
“We started as a small team, a team of one man, just myself alone,” he recalled.
Over time, friends and fellow healthcare professionals joined the mission, bringing their expertise, resources and commitment to serving vulnerable communities. Today, Team of Hope Ghana’s outreach extends to Sandema, Fumbisi, Paga, Tongo, Walewale and several other communities. As part of its 10th anniversary activities, the organisation expanded its services to Walewale and the Nanumba area, widening access to essential healthcare.
During the past decade, the team has performed more than 7,000 surgeries at no cost to patients. Conditions treated include hernias, hydroceles, thyroid diseases, uterine fibroids, ovarian tumours, breast masses and several other surgical conditions that many rural families often cannot afford to treat.
For beneficiaries, the programme has been life-changing.
Saida, one of the patients, said financial hardship had forced her to live with pain for a long time.
“I knew I needed surgery, but because I didn’t have the money, I stayed at home. When I heard it was free, I was very happy and I came,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Matthew, said he had previously been asked to pay for surgery elsewhere.
“When I went elsewhere, I was supposed to pay. But when I came here, they said it was free. Since it’s free, I’m happy,” he said.
Among the many cases that remain memorable for the medical team is that of a young woman from Paga who believed she could never have children. Medical examinations later revealed a massive ovarian tumour, which was successfully removed during one of Team of Hope Ghana’s surgical outreaches.
She later gave birth to twins and subsequently welcomed another child, a story the organisation considers one of its greatest successes.
Another unforgettable case involved an elderly man who had lived with a large neck swelling for more than two decades.
“On the first day after surgery, we gave him a mirror to look at himself,” one of the surgeons recalled. “The smile of seeing himself without the mass for the first time in so many years actually brought tears to my eyes.”
For members of the surgical team, moments like these remain the greatest reward for years of volunteer service.
Behind the initiative is a dedicated network of volunteer surgeons, physicians, nurses, anaesthetists, laboratory professionals and support staff who donate their time and expertise every year. Many have remained part of the mission for years, returning because of the impact they witness firsthand.
Dr. Alhassan Jaabir, one of the volunteers, believes the organisation’s greatest strength is its spirit of teamwork.
“The team actually works as one. There is something very addictive about it. Once you volunteer once, you keep wanting to come back more and more,” he said.
Despite its success, sustaining the programme has not been easy.
For much of the past decade, Team of Hope Ghana has relied largely on volunteer contributions and donations to fund transportation, accommodation, medications, laboratory investigations, medical consumables and other operational costs. Every surgical specimen removed during outreach programmes also undergoes histological examination to determine whether it is cancerous or pre-cancerous, an essential but expensive part of patient care.
Even with these financial challenges, the organisation has continued to expand its work through the support of partners
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