The Team of Hope, a local non-governmental organisation providing free medical surgeries in rural communities of the Upper East Region, has completed a five-day outreach, attending to 213 patients at Fumbisi District Hospital and Sandema Municipal Hospital.
Despite the success, the organisation faces serious logistical and financial challenges that threaten the sustainability of its humanitarian work.
In a phone interview, lead doctor and team coordinator Dr. Benjamin Akinkang said the outreach is largely funded through personal contributions from board members and colleagues, rather than institutional support.
“It’s basically from contributions from colleagues. Sometimes somebody will provide an amount to do one or two things, but largely it is support from colleagues,” he said. “Every year, we make personal commitments as board members. We also receive occasional support from some food facilities.”
Dr. Akinkang explained that volunteers from Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale often rely on their own vehicles, creating logistical strain and increasing costs. “We don’t have transport for them, so they use their individual cars, and we have to fuel all those vehicles—it’s not the best,” he said.
He emphasised that a dedicated bus would reduce operational costs, improve coordination, and enhance the impact of their outreach activities. “If we had a bus that could meet us at a central point and convey us to the field, it would make life easier for us,” he said.
The Team of Hope is appealing to individuals, institutions, and benevolent organisations to support them in acquiring a bus to sustain and expand their free medical services. Their next outreach is planned for the Kassena-Nankana West and Talensi districts.
Source: a1radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Gerard Asagi|Builsa North
