BIG NEWS! I've created a PayPal account for the Abigail/Nadia clinic, and if you just look thataway, ------------------------------------------------------------>
you will find a convenient link! I have often had kind people ask, "How can I donate?" and it has come to my attention that there are easier and more secure ways than sending a check in the mail. So, here it is!

Also, more knowledgeable people than myself have offered to research how to make the Abigail/Nadia Clinic a tax-deductible organization. I am very excited about this possibility!

Cape Coast is buzzing today despite the dusty hazy weather...Ghana goes up against Morocco in the African Cup of Nations tonight, a big game! Every street stall is selling Ghana flags, belts, hats, noisemakers, anything you can think of; you can't look anywhere without seeing red, gold and green. This reminds me of Summer 2006 during the World Cup, when I was lucky enough to be in Ghana as they maneuvered through the tournament. After defeating the U.S. and Czech Republic among others, they finally ceded to Italy. The night of that game, Ghanaians still celebrated the success they'd made with dancing and parades through the streets. Truly, I've never seen a people with as much spirit as the Ghanaians have. This tournament has the added excitement (and pressure) of being on home turf, and it is definitely felt.

I’m back!

Sincere apologies for my ridiculous lethargy with this blog! Happily I have much news to report:

I arrived in Ghana last week after a month’s vacation at home in Boston to begin my Northeastern Co-op focusing solely on the clinic in Nsanfo for the next six months! I can’t say how excited I am to have so much time and possibility ahead of me. Accompanying me are two Northeastern students, Amanda and Kim, who will be volunteering at the clinic Monday through Friday while experiencing Ghanaian life with a host family in Nsanfo and exploring the sights around Cape Coast on the weekends. Already they are getting a taste of how energetic and proud Ghanaians are—Ghana is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations this year (soccer, what else?), and on the very first game of the tournament on Sunday night, Ghana won against Guinea by one last minute goal; the girls compared the scene in Cape Coast to a Red Sox night back home!

The clinic promises to progress in huge strides in the next few months. On Tuesday our Northeastern volunteers had their first day of work at the clinic, while the community continued to set concrete blocks for the new building. Amanda and Kim were inundated with young kids from the town’s primary school during break, who were encouraged to come to have wounds (mostly from rough soccer games) dressed for free with donated first aid supplies. Today, Wednesday, was the day for adults of Nsanfo to come for free first aid as well, most of these from work in the farms. Together with the head nurse Lawrence, they also put together a list of most commonly called for medicine so that I can search for the best prices outside of Nsanfo and sell them as needed at the same flat price in the clinic so that we can continue to restock our supply. In addition, we will be purchasing a bulletin board for the clinic to post nurse schedules, clinic inventory, and any new announcements or donations to the clinic. In the next few weeks we will also be constructing a partition in the main hall of the clinic to create a more traditional clinic setup with a waiting room, overnight patients’ room with toilet and shower, and two private consultation rooms.

The matter of nurse schedules is particularly important, as I am hoping to add two more Ghanaian assistant nurses to our roster. They have been working sporadically for the last month but have had trouble with the long and expensive commute from Salt Pond, about 15 miles away. As it is Nsanfo’s responsibility to provide housing to any government workers such as teachers and nurses, I will be appealing to the community to do so until the new building is constructed.

We have a lot ahead of us for the next few months!