Another year is going to pass us by and nursing students will not be going to Ghana. The University says if the destination country cannot demonstrate that they can adequately care for a COVID patient then we cannot go.  We are, however, planning for a trip summer 2022 and will use funds that you donated then for our projects.  I have been in contact with our partners in Ghana and COVID has not been a huge problem for them. We will repeat our health education programs for the village of Bolgataga and surrounding villages and we will communicate with you as we go along.  Thank you so much for your support and your waiting for us to go. Special thank you to donors who wanted to support their family member to go and it was cancelled. Your donation to the University counts so much and we appreciate it.  Our applications for the 2022 trip will open in September 2021 and selection will take place in December.  

Thank you so much for supporting nursing students at the University of Arkansas last year!

We are excited to share that the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing is going back to Bolgatanga this summer with a different group of students to expand the U of A’s impact on the health of families in these village communities.

During spring break, we are running a challenge that will help this year’s team earn additional funds for their teaching projects. A $710 bonus gift will be unlocked after 40 donations have been made to the FundRAZOR page. We are only 11 gifts away from reaching this milestone!

Visit this year’s fundraising page to learn more about the work that EMSON continues to do in Ghana and help us reach our goal of 40 donors in the next week.

Thanks again for your donation to last year’s team. We are so grateful for your generosity and the opportunities that your gifts created!

We are halfway through our time here in Bolgatanga. The most rewarding experiences so far have been with the teaching projects. Being able to connect with and directly educate the people here is incredibly valuable. The attached video is a group of women singing ‘welcome’ and ‘thank you’ in Frafra after receiving coal pot education. 

We have made it safely to Ghana! The weather is hot and the people are very welcoming. So far we have sucessfully completed two teaching projects. For more pictures follow EMSON Ghana Study Abroad on Facebook. 

We had a great day packing even though we are not leaving until May 28. We needed to make sure we had everything.  You will notice Gifty Agana in the video. She helped us to pack for our visit to her village and taught us a bit of Fra Fra.  

We are getting more excited everyday and we look forward to our projects that wouldn't happen without your donation.

In case you didn't write down our Facebook page, here it is again: EMSON Ghana Study Abroad.

Thanks Abbey Childers for the video.

Yesterday an anonymous donor helped us pass our goal and we are thrilled. This Study Abroad- Service Learning venture will be wonderful for the students and the villagers all because of you and your generous support.  Thank you to all of the donors and even though we are "over the top" we can purchase more coal pots and more mosquito nets. We can all continue to share our site until the very last minute.

We will be leaving the U.S. on May 28 and our teaching programs will begin June 3. Updates will posted frequently to this site to keep you updated on the impact you are making with your donation. Students will also be posting on our Facebook page that you can check for photos and updates at EMSON Ghana Study Abroad and students will also be writing a blog on the Study Abroad UARK website.

Thank you all so much for making our project a success and we are so excited to have this opportunity.

I would like to recognize the donations of equipment and other products that we have received from various companies and individuals. We could not have a successful program without all those who help us along the way.     Carol Agana

OMRON Health Care- blood pressure monitoring devices for our screening projects

Trudell Medical International (George Ryan)- peak flow meters that we will use to test women we will teach about     respiratory illnesses related to cooking over smoky coal pots.

Comotomo, Inc- 5oz infant bottles for infants who require hydration due to illnesses.

Johnson & Johnson MAP International- oral rehydration packets for our teaching program: vitamins, medicines, skin creams that we will leave with the clinics

EKF Diagnostics (Lewis Coburn)- hemoglobin monitoring device that is portable to check for anemia in our teaching project about nutrition and high protein/iron rich foods.

Sue Dillon- wound care supplies and surgery equipment for the clinics we work in

Bettie Miller- jewelry we hand out to participants of our education programs (the women love jewelry)

Lyn Edington and Martha Butler- reading glasses for the villagers and staff at the clinics

American Heart Association- tee shirts and blow up manikins for CPR program

Parkhill Clinic (Rochelle Samavati)- 5mL syringes also for our re-hydration teaching program

Susan and Mike Hays, Dr. and Mrs. Randall Woods- luggage to carry the supplies

Deb Henderson- cosmetic bags, scarves and other items for gifts to the women who attend our teaching projects and staff of the clinics

Sarah Malloy- jewelry and a stethoscope

Sara Green- jewelry and 100 backpacks for pre-school age children with a book, crayons and sharpeners

The nursing students are very appreciative of your donations to their Study Abroad experience and helping to make their educational programs more beneficial. Students presenting education to village children will be able to hand out a toothbrush and tooth paste and will also tell them what local resources they have for brushing their teeth. Students teaching about wound infection prevention can supply each participant with a wound care kit to help prevent septicemia. A baby will be saved from catching malaria due to a bed net and mothers will be less likely to develop respiratory illnesses due to smoke from cooking on a coal pot.  On behalf of the villagers of Bolgatanga, Zaare, Navarongo and Bongo I also thank you. Your donations will have a positive impact on the villagers and provide them with health information that will have long term benefits. 

I am happy to be the lead faculty for this group and the first group that went to Bolgatanga. It is very rewarding to watch the development of these new global citizens and how they gradually become aware of the world around them. They can see for themselves the health disparities that exist in a poor country rather than reading about it in a book. By the end of the program they recognize the sustained impact they can have on the hundreds that they will teach.

We are almost at half of our goal with only a few days left. Thank you very much for your donation and also for sharing our project needs with others.

Carol Agana, APRN

Faculty

I was in my second semester in nursing school when I found myself searching for more opportunities to enhance my education which is how I became interested in the study abroad trip to Bolgatanga, Ghana. It was a Wednesday when I walked into an EMSON classroom and sat down in front of three interviewers, one of which was Mrs. Agana. I answered each question honestly and genuinely until Mrs. Agana asked me if I would be willing to pee behind a tree. I responded with an immediate yet hesitant “Yes!”. She then asked me if I had ever been camping before. I answered no and that I had grown up in the city without such experiences. She then leaned toward her fellow interviewers and said “Well it would be fun to watch her go on the trip”. I laughed along with the others almost in agreement. I knew it would be a culture shock for me but I believed I was humble enough to accept the drastic change in scenery. When I was accepted into the program, I was shocked to say the least. Not only because I was going to get to experience the nursing profession on an international level but also because Mrs. Agana was going to see me pee behind a tree. 

While in Ghana, we educated the public about wound care, infant hydration, dental hygiene, safe sex, and taught hands-only CPR. Through these teaching projects we were able to connect villagers with basic medical knowledge and skills to help better care for themselves and their families. It also encouraged them to learn more about their own health. I was consistently surprised with how enthusiastic they were to learn. It was also incredibly humbling to see how much they could do with so little. 

There are not enough words in this world to explain the experience I had in Bolgatanga. The villagers lived in huts without running water or air conditioning in the sweltering heat, yet all they could sing was their thankfulness to God for his immense blessings. Studying in Ghana has taught me to be a more empathetic and compassionate nurse but also how to be a resourceful one. I also learned that community education, philanthropy, and service are very important elements when it comes to being in the healthcare field. I came home a changed person and not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could return. I am extremely lucky to be able to have gained the knowledge and skill set to be a nurse and my experiences in Ghana have only heightened my drive and passion for this profession.