Residents in Okuapeman benefit from OKWAF initiatives

The Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo Foundation (OKWAF) has carried out two significant social intervention activities to mark this year’s Odwira Festival. 

The initiatives — free surgeries and health screening programmes for people in Okuapeman and the bicycle for education and growth—highlighted OKWAF’s dedication to improving lives and providing opportunities for Okuapeman and beyond.

Held in collaboration with the Save Africa Foundation, the free surgeries and health screening programme provided life-saving surgeries and free health screenings to hundreds of community members. 

The foundation, set up under the leadership of the Okuapehene, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III, focuses on addressing the most pressing needs of the people, with an emphasis on healthcare, education and social enterprise.

Health

The screening exercise provided an invaluable opportunity for individuals to receive medical care that would otherwise be out of reach, and it covered a range of essential services, including blood pressure checks, diabetes screenings, eye exams and consultations with medical professionals from the USA and Ghana.

Also, surgeries were performed for free for those with more complex health conditions such as hernias, uterine myoma, breast lumps, myomectomy and other treatable ailments.

One student, one bicycle

The Bicycle for Education and Growth initiative rolled out in partnership with Trans Sahara Industries, provided bicycles to several students in rural areas, where long distances to school remain a significant barrier to education.

The initiative aims to provide a reliable and sustainable means of transportation, helping to resolve the challenge of many students in many parts of Okuapeman and the Eastern Region.

These students have to walk several kilometres each day to attend school, a situation that often results in fatigue, tardiness, and decreased academic performance. 

Creating lasting change

The Chief Executive Officer of OKWAF, Emmanuel Asa-Ntow, said these two initiatives chosen for this year were just two examples of the foundation’s ongoing efforts to uplift the community.

He said OKWAF was committed to creating lasting change, empowering individuals to live healthier, more fulfilling lives and ensuring that the next generation had the tools they need to succeed.

He said there was no doubt that education was a powerful tool for transforming lives and that removing barriers to access was critical to unlocking the full potential of the youth.

“Today, it is not just about the gift of bicycles; it is about empowerment, opportunity and the commitment to making education and health accessible to all.

“Also, we believe that early detection of health issues can significantly improve outcomes, and the free surgeries and medical screening helped achieve the objective of improving the quality of life and alleviating the financial burdens on the beneficiaries and their families,” he explained.

Mr Asa-Ntow appealed for support to sustain this great initiative carried out every year as part of the Odwira activities, stressing that with the needed support, it would be an all-year-round programme benefiting many more people. 

“We all have to be another’s keeper. So I’m calling on well-meaning people, especially people of Okuapeman, to support the laudable and positive efforts by OKWAF so it can do more and enable more communities in Akuapem and beyond to benefit,” he said.