We introduce this year with the story of John. John is a very energetic, clever and introvert lad who has gone through the hurdles of stigma, surgeries & acceptance to become a confident young lad today.
John lived with a congenital deformity to his legs and was raised by his impeccable father who loves his boy immensely.
He was found by the help & support of Kekeli Inc in the Volta region. He was then supported by @GIHOC in the UK to have his surgeries and recieve his prosthetic legs at the OTC.
We wish John a new beginning to his life and all the best in his endeavors as he goes back to school.
On 17th of January 2022, the OTC was privileged to receive the US ambassador, Mrs. Stephanie S. Sullivan to visit, tour and have clear understanding of the works of the centre.
She had a warm reception from the children, staff and student of the @Br. Tarcisuis Prosthestic & Orthotics Training College.
She visited all the departments in the centre and had an in-depth knowledge of all the activities in the OTC.
The OTC will like to say thank you to you Madam Ambassador and we were extremely happy to receive you.
You have been an integral part of our blessing in continuing to provide help and support to the Physically challenged in our society. Putting smiles on their faces and hope in their hearts.
In this Annual report we share with you how your help and support has been very impactful in our vision and mission for the betterment of the livelihood of Persons Living with Disabilities.
We are in awe of your benevolence towards us this year. In spite of all the challenges that the whole world faced, you didn’t let us be alone but rather you checked on us and came along with a helping hand. All we have to say is, may the God Lord bless your kind heart and may the good spirits be with you in this festive season.
MERRY CHRISTMAS..!!!
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New year.
Dear Friends of OTC, this is the time of year when we look back on the past twelve months and begin looking forward to the New Year. This time last year none of us knew what would confront us in 2020. Then the COVID 19 virus arrived as a roaring lion, forcing country after country to face month after month of unimaginable challenges. Despite the hope born of two very recently approved vaccines, those challenges remain. We at the OTC have not been exempt from the threats to human life caused by COVID 19. We too had to make hard decisions as we tried to put protocols in place that would protect the children and staff and at the same time allow us to continue serving the physically challenged who depend on us. By sending home all those who would not be negatively impacted by being discharged, we reduced our numbers to a small family of twelve. We divided the workshop into teams, each team on duty for two weeks at a time. With that schedule, we knew that if the virus infected someone in one group, that group could be sent home and be replaced by the other group. In spite of the challenges of 2020, you, our donors, have remained faithful in your kindness to us. Even during the lockdown some of you were able to get through road barriers by explaining to the police that you were bringing food to the OTC. Every gift we received has been a generous and loving response from you. Each has been very much appreciated by each of us. Now we look forward to 2021 while knowing that it will bring all of us new challenges. By partnering with you, we believe that we will continue to give hope to those we serve and to their families. We believe that we will continue to help our patients, one at a time, develop to their fullest potential and use their gifts for the good of society.Because of you and your sharing with us, the joy, peace, hope, and love that are the gifts of this Christmas season remain alive and well here at the OTC. We, in turn, pray daily that God will bless you and your loved ones with those same gifts now and throughout the year ahead.Gratefully yours, Sister Elizabeth Newman SSND
Today the OTC decided to share food items to some of the community patients we visit on our Community visitations. Due to the pandemic the community visit team has been on halt for a while and when we visited to give them the gifts, the smiles on their faces and joy they expressed to receive the items shows how happy and appreciative they were. #AllchildrenareGodsGift #OTCghana
We have provided all our children with these wonderful nose mask. We are doing all our possible best to keep them safe and sound. Please don’t forget to use your nose mask and your Alcohol based sanitizers when you are in the mist of people. #Staysafe#Stayhome #Otcghana #AllchildrenareGodsGift
Now that Ghana has confirmed cases and deaths due to CORVD-19, we would like to bring you up to date on OTC.
Never before in our 59 years of service to the physically challenged have we had to close some departments and limit our services. However, like all institutions, we are struggling to find ways to protect the staff and children on admission and at the same time offer our services to the handicapped of Ghana.
12 residents left in the OTC
The children’s department has only 12 residents. When schools closed and the country was considering lockdown, we thought it best to send as many children home as possible. Our numbers quickly went form 80 patients on admission to 12. Most of the 12 who are still here have been with us for a long time because they do not have families to return to. Our goal has been to make a wonderful home for them and provide a schedule so that they will have time for study, leisure, and physical exercise.
All amputees have been discharged and returned to their homes and families. Those whose appliances were not ready when they left will be called when the workshop has completed their prostheses and they are ready for fitting. Until the situation changes, they will not be admitted for training. At the moment we have 10 technicians at a time in the workshop to respect the prescribed social distancing.
Unfortunately, our mobile unit is grounded. We realize that it is hardship for those who depend on our services, but we believe that it is not safe for our team to travel or for patients who would gather to see us.
The Brother Tarcisius Prosthetic and Orthotic Training College and the Cerebral Palsy Day Care Center are closed down until further notice from the government and OTC management.
We are very thankful to all the generous people who support the OTC and continue to do so during these hard times. We pray for you every day and with you hope that this difficult time will soon pass. We also hope that you will, in turn, keep us at OTC in your prayers. In this way, although remaining separated from one another for safety, we will at the same time continue to be united in fighting this virus as one voice in our faith, our hope, and our love for all God’s people.
Today marks a day of recognition and remembrance of our Differently Abled Brothers and Sisters living in various parts of the world. We at the OTC work passionately to showcase to the world what differently abled people have and are able showcase to the people around the world.
We are here to strengthen, enhance and restore the social capacity of individuals living with disabilities in various parts of Ghana. Our children and patients are taught how to be independent and proficient in their daily livelihood so that they become example for PWD’s to strengthen themselves that if our children can be ROCKSTARS then nothing can stop PWD’s from becoming ROCKSTARS to the world.
A group of 18 university students from the US, Canada and the UK paid a visit today to see first-hand the work of the OTC. The group of mostly second and third year students were part of a larger group of students traveling on a four month ‘Semester at Sea’ program originating in the US. The students attend lectures while on board and take shore excursions when the ship docks. They had two stops in Ghana at Takoradi and Tema. As the students were all undertaking studies in the health sector, a call on the OTC was arranged for them to see how the OTC delivers an integrated rehabilitation service for adults and children with prosthetic and orthotic needs. The students had a very productive experience at OTC; they had a tour of the Centre, interacted with our Director Sister Elizabeth Newman and the former Australian high Comissionor to Ghana Mr Billy Williams. Afterwards they went to the community, show how accessibly the surroundings were, visited a community patient and finally came back to the Centre to play ballon games with the children.
Students visit community patientStudent play ballon games with Children
Orthopedic Training Centre (OTC) :: Ghana 