Americares: Driving Health Equity for Women in Ghana

Ghana

country outline

In the rural Ashanti region of Ghana, women typically don’t have access to a nutrient-rich diet or prenatal supplements needed to support a healthy pregnancy. Kirk Humanitarian, in partnership with Americares and Women’s Health to Wealth, is changing that. Since 2002 Kirk Humanitarian has been donating United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (UNIMMAP MMS) to this region, reaching more than 27,000 pregnant women a year to strengthen women’s and infant’s health.

Women’s Health to Wealth distributes Kirk Humanitarian’s UNIMMAP MMS produced in partnership with CPC to more than 100 hospitals, community health centers, clinics, maternity homes, and other health facilities in the region, and they ensure staff are properly trained to disseminate the supplements.

Before Kirk Humanitarian donated its product, a woman would need to pay $120 for a six-month supply – a price most in this region could not afford. Now, patients can access UNIMMAP MMS for free and learn how to properly take them, leading to remarkable benefits. Women’s Health to Wealth staff have noticed fewer anemia inpatients, and dramatic increases in the number of patients who now come for regular antenatal care visits and deliver at health facilities. With Kirk Humanitarian’s reliable donations, Women’s Health to Wealth has been able to scale up and invest resources to continue to drive health equity for pregnant women in Ghana.

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