Prevention: Better than Cure

I can't believe I have been back from Ghana for almost two weeks. How did that happen? I finally finished up my final recap for school on the project and thought I'd share some of my thoughts here too.

Through BYU's Economic Self-Reliance Center, I was able to participate in a Social Venture Consulting project. With two other students I worked on a project for MicroBusiness for Health in Accra, Ghana to help strengthen their microfranchise model.

The goal of MicroBusiness for Health is to help people in rural communities throughout Ghana stay healthy by selling affordable health care products and educating people how to use those products. To reach this goal, MBH has created a “business in a basket” microfranchise model that provides women an opportunity to earn supplemental income through the sale of health products as well as help improve the health of their community. These small businesswomen, called HealthKeepers, sell products like mosquito bed nets, contraceptives, oral rehydration salts, iodated salt, soaps, reading glasses, and some personal care products like toothpaste and brushes, ointments, Vaseline, lip balm and bandages. The HealthKeepers sell these products door-to-door in their communities helping their communities one household at a time.

I was able to travel to villages to meet, interview and shadow some of these HealthKeepers. Seeing the impact a little education and training has made for these women was remarkable. Every woman was proud to be able to help improve the health of her community. They could all tell stories about their communities struggles with malaria and other illness, and then they would share stories about people in their village coming to them when someone was sick and being able to help or being able to help prevent diseases with the products. Having a business - while only a small part-time job - has empowered these women. There is still education to be done, but it was an interested experience hearing them explain to me about their business, profits and "marketing tactics." These women were truly inspiring.

This was an experience I will never forget and am so thankful I was able to have. Here are some pictures of the HealthKeepers I visited with.






Seeing this woman take the eye exam and then put on glasses and retake the eye exam was a moment I hope to never forget. After she finished she asked a child to go get her a mirror; she was so excited to see how her new glasses looked. Just thinking about it still gives me goosebumps. All that excitement and a huge difference in this woman's life all for about $3.