Thank you for all the congratulations and well wishes. Receiving this award was a great honor and at the same time a very humbling experience. I believe that we are all change makers, responding in our own way to the needs of those we come into contact with. You contributions and support has made it possible for us at OTC to be able to help so many children. With a grateful heart I say thanks.

Sister Elizabeth Newman SSND, Director, OTC.

OVER SEVEN THOUSAND GHANAIANS WITH DISABILITIES HELPED IN 2018 BY ORTHOPEDIC CENTRE
Adoagiryi; 27 March 2019
Demand for the services of the Orthopedic Training Centre (OTC) in Ghana has grown by x per cent in the past year as more children and adults reached out for disability support. OTC treated 7,259 adults and children as out and in-patients during 2018.
At their annual meeting of the Board of Trustees at the OTC headquarters in Adoagiryi today, Centre Director, Sister Elizabeth Newman SSND, said the demand for support was at an all-time high with all available places at the centre filled by 90 children and adults.
‘As Ghana’s population grows, the number of patients presenting with diabetes, industrial and traffic accidents as well as birth deformities has increased. In 2018, we treated 2,466 patients with amputations, mostly from diabetes and accidents,’ said Sister Elizabeth.
The OTC workshop supported over 7,000 patients in 2018 with life-changing orthopedic appliances and intense physiotherapy treatment for rehabilitation in order that patients are able to return to the community and resume productive lives.
OTC reaches all regions of Ghana, including with a trek program that delivered support to 2,146 patients in 2018. A mobile unit covered over 20, 000 kilometres, visiting 46 stations, with some towns receiving eight visits annually.
Children’s education is a priority at OTC. As part of their rehabilitation and development, 105 in-patient children received a formal education program in 2018 delivered by a qualified teaching staff.
The introduction of a new cerebral palsy clinic and day centre at OTC, has demonstrated a need in the community for a support service for children with this disability. Named in honour of an Australian lady, Mrs Lynette Williams, who passed away in 2017, the clinic now supports seven children in the local community with a daily program led by qualified therapists using specialised equipment.
‘There is an increasing need to support children with cerebral palsy in the local community. The day care has a twin benefit with the child receiving specialised physio and other support while the parents are freed to work and engage in other activities. We hope to expand the program with more children over time, provided there are sufficient trained staff and adequate facilities available,’ said Sister Elizabeth.
Sister paid tribute to the many volunteers from around the world who have freely given their time to and talents to help OTC. She also paid tribute to the growing number of Ghanaian donors who have given generously with cash and in-kind donations to help deliver the services to those in the community who are disadvantaged through disability.
For further information and interviews , please contact Mr Eleazer Asante, PRO, OTC. Tel: 0506759386 Email- pr@otcghana.org

The Orthopedic Training Centre now has a new donation button thanks to a wonderful group by name “I support the Marginalized in Society” (ISMIS). They are a group of Masters students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) who visited the Centre and out of love decided to create an easier way donors can make donations into our accounts.

The button gives donors the easiest way of making donation where ever they find themselves with the use of a VISA card or a normal mobile money account in Ghana. (MTN, Vodafone, Airtel and Tigo).

ISMIS GROUP with the Director of OTC

Gloria (Physiotherapist on rotation), Saki (second from left), Sr. Esther SSND (third from left) and their COP guests from the Netherlands

The Community Outreach Program (COP) is a community-based rehabilitation program by the Physiotherapy department of OTC. The team goes out to the communities to see people with CVA, CP and other neurological problems which needs only physiotherapy.  All other orthopedic problems they find are referred to the centre.

Therapy session with an elderly woman who has CVA @ Asikafoamantem

COP is an initiative by Ms Saki Shibata, a 28 year-old Japanese physiotherapist volunteer at OTC. Saki came to the centre through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) volunteer program. Her assignment was to see patients that come to OTC, and improve the quality of the skills of the physiotherapy department.

She realized after a while that people were not coming to clinic regularly, although she saw other people with conditions like Cerebral Palsy and children with clubfoot in the community. “These are conditions that OTC treats but the people in the community do not even come”, she wondered. Initially, she thought they had challenges with their finances so she did a survey and realized it was not all about money. The people had so many other reasons like religion, superstition, cultural believes and ignorance about the importance of consistent treatment in the management of a child’s condition.

The Team on their way to home visiting

This was the genesis of the OTC-COP. She joined the community nurse from the Notre Dame clinic, Sr. Esther SSND to visit communities close to the centre. They started with three communities, and there they discovered that there were four old patients who had stopped coming to the centre. the team also found a few new patients in on home visits. Saki treats the people in the community if they have neurological problem like CVA and Cerebral Palsy. Other than these, they are referred to the OTC outpatient clinic on Mondays.

Therapy session with Aggie,  a Cerebral Palsy patient in the Adoagyiri community

According to Miss Saki,  her aims for this initiative is to educate people in the community on their treatment plan; the condition of sickness and how to manage it; also how to exercise properly. Then again, find new cases who are not treated in the community, and finally bring patients back to mainstream clinic through education, counselling and treatment. Above all, she hopes the program helps in reducing stigma attached to disability in communities through community-based rehabilitation.

Kerri (left), a Speech and Language therapist from London comes on COP @ Sakyikrom

The community Outreach Program started about 18 months ago, and it has been very successful. As the number of communities has increased to five. People around the most visited areas are now a little conscious of the congenital deformities and we are receiving more positive response from the natives.     We hope to extend to the remote parts of our municipal assembly, and save as many lives as possible.

Support a good cause like ours. Donate today!

OTC… We put people on their feet!

Many a time we undermine the effect of certain devices in our lives. In today’s world one common effective tool of everyday life is the mobile phone. Some people are very dependent on their mobile phones for business and life.

In the world of disabilities, I will say a wheelchair for one child can do all the magic; fix the broken home; get all children into school; the mother goes back to work.  No matter how bad the child’s condition is, it can take a wheelchair to reduce the stigma on the family. Yes! One wheelchair can turn a whole family’s life around.

Here is how
Parents with children who have conditions that make it impossible to walk typically carry them on their back for long distance mobility. When the child has Cerebral Palsy it makes it even more difficult to take them anywhere. If they try to put such a child in school, some schools would not want to admit them because they become burdened by the child’s needs. Some mothers would have to stay home and dedicate their lives to taking care of their disabled children. Most of the time, the fathers are not in the picture, and the mother has more than one child. How can she provide for herself and her children when she has no job or she is unable to work as much as she needs to take care of the home?

Although wheelchair access in Ghana is a big challenge, a wheelchair for some people is everything. Wheelchair should be the last resort for people with diseases, injuries and infections that make it impossible to walk, but when all avenues fail, it is always hope for mobility and independence.

Benjey’s Case

Benjey is a 19 month old baby who was born with spina bifida and two other conditions. After birth his mother run away and left him in the hospital. Benjey spent his first 8 months in the hospital, during the same period, the surgery to correct the spinal defect.
When Benjey came to OTC, he was always on people’s arms because of his condition and size. He used to cry a lot. Even at the age of one year, he looked like a 4 month old baby. Physical therapists worked but until he had a wheelchair, we did not see most of the results.

Benjey’s pushchair donated by Farm4Life

Now he can sit independently in his wheelchair giving his caregiver and other people who used to carry him time to do other things. His neck control had gotten better he is more sociable and he cries less than before. I can say, now he is a boy thanks to his wheelchair; he has been detached from people’s arms. While he still have his defects and complications, he is still growing pretty much socially. Also, his sitting posture is getting better.

Ohenewaa’s Case

Ohenewaa’s wheelchair and shower seat was donated by Ghana-Australia Association

Ohenewaa is a 4 year old girl with cerebral palsy. She is from a family of five.  She weighs about twice the average weight of a 4 year old. Due to her condition, her mother has to stay home and care for her. Also, sometimes when she has to come to OTC for review, Ohenewaa’s mother brings her older sister to help carry Ohenewaa when she the mother have waist and back pains.  Late last year, Ohenewaa was given a wheelchair and a shower seat. He mother was so happy. Her exact words were, “I cannot believe I will not have to carry my girl anymore, sometimes she gets tired because we are unable to manage her well. Her weight is too much!” She says she will soon send Ohenewaa to school and start work in the coming academic year.

The Impact

Playtime@OTC

Since the only way the families of these children can get them to our centre is by carrying them on their backs, this causes pain or more pain to the children, which makes them irritable and hence making them cry a lot due to the discomfort caused  by such way of handling like in Benjey’s case.  Apart from the discomfort these children go through due to lack of this essential mobility aid, it puts the mothers who carry them on their backs at risks of developing health issues such as back and waist pain which can be disabling in the long term just like in Ohenewaa’s case.

There are many children with different conditions who will also benefit immensely from having wheelchairs tailored to their specific needs, others who do not have certain complications will also benefit from standard wheelchairs.

We cannot achieve this without your help and support through your generosity. Children dare to dream and have the opportunity to access education; mothers get their lives back, families are liberated from the pain and incarceration of such conditions.

Photo Credit: Home Health Pavilion

A wheelchair will help to give independence, conserve the energies and simplify the mobility tasks which takes a tow on families of these disabled children.

An appeal to all who are reading, every monetary contribution and or wheelchair donation will go a long way to help us change the lives of these families for good, I repeat One Wheelchair Can Do All The Magic!

To all our donors, we say a big thank you for your support.

Please donate all you can to help OTC.

2016 was another exciting year for OTC Ghana, it was full of activities. This include the college having their first matriculation; OTC making new friends like Mrs. Amissah-Arthur and the Barnes family of the Australian High Commission; and putting 5 of the children into school.

To download our 2016 annual report: click here >> (note: it may take a minute or so to download).

Wild Geese rep Mr. Mauritus Bong cuts the ribbon of the new dining room

Wild Geese (Wilde Ganzen) is a Dutch foundation whose main aim is to fight poverty through financial support, knowledge and expertise. They always partner with other Dutch organizations that are within the country in executing projects and supporting organizations. They usually support 1/3 of every project, and are usually for small organizations and projects. In the case of OTC, they work with JAZI Foundation, our main supporters on our road to being more sustainable and self-reliant.

OTC is lucky to have Wild Geese to be the helping hand in most of our projects. The latest is the support they gave us in building a dinning and leisure room for the female amputees. Dorein Vereek and Mauritus Bong, Senior Project Office and Project officer respectively, are the delegates from Wild Geese who visited the centre. The came just in time to cut the ribbon to the newly completed and furnished dining room. Also, they visited another project they are supporting, the multipurpose hall for the Br. Tarcisius P&O Training College.

Dorein and Mauritus were very pleased to see their money been put to good use. Dorein said, ‘We feel privileged to fund the OTC projects’. They said that it was a good investment.

We invite all local and international organizations to support a good cause like OTC because, we put people on their feet.

Mrs. Amissah-Arthur came to the centre a few months ago. It was her first time and she was swept away by the scenery, the cleanliness and the amazing work that the OTC is doing.

On 23rd November, 2016, she returned with more gifts and a promise that she will visit OTC twice every year. She said that is not a political but personal promise she intends to keep. This was a few weeks to elections. She visited Esther who has just return from surgery. The children were delighted to have her come back.

OTC appreciates Her Excellency’s kindness and support, we wish her a merry Christmas and hope to see her next year.

The new Australian High Commissioner, Mr. Andrew Barnes with his wife, son and an official from the High Commission visited OTC last Thursday. The visit was for them to familiarize themselves with the work of the OTC. One of the former High Commissioners, Mr. Billy Williams has spoken to them about the work we were doing.

Sister Elizabeth toured them through the centre. This has become a tradition for welcoming our guests that visit for the first time.  The High Commissioner and his family started their expedition from our workshop. The manager, Mr. Daniel Yeboah explained the activities and sections to the guests. From there, the High Commissioner’s family was led by Sister Elizabeth and the General Manager to the back-compound where the physiotherapists were busy with their weekly clubfoot clinic. Our guests were thrilled to meet the babies and their mothers.

Time with Gifty at physiotherapy

Afterwards, they proceeded to the Children’s department where they ended the children’s anticipation. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes with their son visited Gifty who was having her physiotherapy, the children’s dormitories, and the various classes.

Children sing ‘you are my sunshine’ for the high commissioner

Their visit to the department was crowned with three beautiful songs from the children. The High Commissioner warmed our hearts when he shook hands with each child as the music was going on.

Finally, they visited the Br. Tarcisius Prosthetics and Orthotics Training College. He was very happy to see what his high commission had done. The Australian High Commission under Mr. William’s administration gave OTC a grant to help us build the college, which is becoming a beacon of our time in terms of prosthetics and orthotics.  Mr. Henry Larbi, the principal of the

Mr. Barnes at the college workshop

college received the guest with the head of P&O department, Nana Agyei. They visited all the classes to say hello to the students. The school paused all activities to come out, welcome and say thank you t

It was all together a beautiful experience. Our guest were very interactive and friendly, and somewhere in the darkness they became the children’s sunshine and a part of the OTC family. We were honored to host Mr Barnes and his family. For this priceless gift which is their time, we say ‘Ayekoo’. Long Live Australia!

The wife of the Vice president Her excellency Mrs. Matildah Amissah-Authur visited and donated quantities of school bags and materials for education, two desktop computers, baskets of fruits, bags of rice and maize, and mini gallons oil.

The 2^nd lady was received and toured through the center by the assistant director, Mr. Raphael Amuzu-Dzamashie and Mr. Kofi Ohene the General Manager. She was accompanied by the Regional Minister, honourable Mavis Frimpong and the MCE for Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly, Mr. Ben Ayeh.

The last section of the center Mrs. Amissah-Authur visited was, the Br. Tarcisius Prosthetics and Orthopedics Training College (BTPOTC), where she interacted with the principal Mr. Henry Larbi, and with the help of the students she familiarized herself with the program as well.

After the tour, Mrs. Amissah-Arthur was very impressed and said that it was an insightful experience. To our utmost awe, she was also very pleased with how clean and orderly our environment was. She commended the Leadership for maintaining such strict environmental cleanliness. The second lady said Father Campbell of the Christ the King Parish ask her to visit and assist OTC. She also lauded the centre and employees for the good job we have been doing, and encouraged us to do more to ensure quality health-care in Ghana. She used the juncture to call on corporate organizations to support the centre.

Rev. Sis. Elizabeth Newman SSND, director of OTC used the opportunity to thank Mrs. Amissah-Authur for her kind gesture especially for providing resources for quality health care delivery in the country and urged her to continue with her good works.

The primary purpose of OTC is the rehabilitation of physically challenged in Ghana and beyond. We urge all friends and loved ones to support us in cash or kind. Be the hand that put more people on their feet today.