Good News from Our Partner AFPNC in Ghana: Navigating Family Health during COVID-19
In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, good news have reached the GLANCE network from one of our founding committee members. AFPNC, the African Foundation for Premature Babies and Neonatal Care spearheaded by Selina Bentoom, launched two important initiatives aimed at supporting children and their families during these difficult times.
The first initiative focused on distributing 50 infant warmers to ten district health facilities in remote areas in Ghana which do not have incubators for their NICUs. As part of this activity, AFPNC gave ten infant warmers as well as the necessary accessories to the Asankrangwa Catholic Hospital, a referral facility for five districts which, however, does not have a proper NICU and no incubators. These infant warmers are sorely needed because the hospital has been recording an increase in the mortality rate of newborns which it links to prematurity and low birthweights. Funding for these infant warmers came from ROOTS Medtech in the UK.
AFPNC’s recent second initiative is called “Motherhood under COVID-19”. In collaboration with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ghana (SOGOG) and the Ghana Psychological Association (GPA), the foundation hosts a variety of medical experts, women advocates, and mothers from Ghana and other African countries in a virtual talk series. The objective of the series is to educate women and girls on how to best take care of their families during COVID-19 and ensure that their families stay safe and healthy. Moreover, the series aims to empower women and girls alike to prioritize their own mental and physical well-being during this pandemic. Overall, the virtual talk series offers free and accessible psychological support and health advice for families as they negotiate the challenges arising from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting this month, the initiative “Motherhood under COVID-19” enters its second phase which will run until March 2021. The project will offer free psychological counselling to 40,000 mothers, including those with newborns. So far, the project has been a great success with over 100,000 people directly or indirectly impacted. GLANCE applauds AFPNC and Selina Bentoom for making a difference in these difficult times.
For more information about AFPNC and its vital work in Ghana, visit