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Stettler District Ambulance Association donates equipment to Ghana hospitals through A Better World Canada

The equipment will be distributed between the Dominase Hospital and Jacobu Hospital
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Linda Borg (SDAA Manager), Eric Rajah (ABW co-founder), and Dr. Noble Donkor (ABW Ghana project manager and Burman University Academic Administration VP) during the equipment delivery at Burman University. Jacqui McCarty photo

Lacombe-based non-profit A Better World Canada (ABW) received a very exciting delivery from the Stettler District Ambulance Association (SDAA) recently.

Linda Borg, advanced care paramedic and manager of the Stettler District Ambulance Association, and her husband Jim delivered two stretchers and several boxes and kits of emergency care equipment that the organization no longer uses, according to a release.

The equipment is in great shape and will soon be shipped and distributed between the Dominase Hospital and Jacobu Hospital in the Amansie District of Ghana.

Dr. Noble Donkor, who has spearheaded and managed ABW’s work in Ghana for the last 10 years, received the donation along with ABW co-founder Eric Rajah and Burman University’s VP of Financial Administration Darrell Huether.

The university in Lacombe has agreed to store the equipment until it will be shipped through a rented container space via Mr. Osei Twum of Edmonton.

Of the donation, Dr. Donkor stated, “The medical equipment and supplies will be ‘meat in due season’ for the twin hospitals in the district.

“It will tremendously help improve the health delivery to the community of men, women, and children in the towns and villages being served by the hospitals.”

Dr. Sebastian and Dr. Addai, head doctors of the twin hospitals, are eager to receive the equipment and immediately put it to use with their staff.

This is not the first shipment that generous donors have enabled ABW to send to Ghana—Dr. Donkor cited that one dozen containers of medical equipment and supplies have been shipped to over 10 hospitals in Ghana over the last 10 years. In addition, one ambulance and one power generator were funded for local purchase.

This is also not the first time that SDAA has donated vital medical equipment to ABW—in 2016, the Association donated uniforms, lifepaks, EMS jackets, headblocks, and more to be distributed to various ABW-supported hospitals in Ghana.

“The staff and volunteers at ABW are continually amazed by our community of passionate and generous supporters.

“Our deepest thanks to Linda and the Stettler District Ambulance Association, Project Manager Dr. Noble Donkor, and Burman University for making this project possible.”

Stettler EMS is an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance service.

Inter-facility transfers make up 60 per cent of their call volume while the remainder, 40 per cent, is emergency calls within communities such as, Donalda, Delburne, Red Willow, Rochon, White Sands and Scenic Sands, Erskine, Nevis, Alix, Botha, Gadsby, Big Valley, Byemoor, Bashaw and Endiang.

In addition, Stettler District Ambulance also provides medical standby for public events such as rodeos, sporting events, and special venues.

Stettler District Ambulance operates two ambulances 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

These are staffed by a rotation of eight full-time staff and 15 casual staff.

An ambulance crew typically consists of one Paramedic and one Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), most of whom have many years’ experience in emergency services.

As to A Better World, it was back in 1990 that two friends, Eric and Brian, wanted to invest $5,000 in a development project.

They and a handful of others decided to pay for reconstructive surgery for 15 children in Kenya, enabling those children to walk for the first time. And so, A Better World was born.

The project was so successful that they began to receive donations to continue their humanitarian work. Nine years later, they traveled to Kenya to see their project site.

Today, A Better World has projects in over 15 countries and has invested $35.7 million in quality education, essential healthcare, and clean water. Over one million lives have been changed for the better.

Over 2,800 volunteers have traveled to project sites and countless more have supported ABW through fundraising.