Home visit to a one year old birthday girl – Friday 19th October

We were due to fly out of Ghana this evening but there was just time to distribute a few more wheelchairs in Tema using as a base, the Redemption Presbyterian Church that Jill and I visited last Sunday.

Then our leader, Shirley, asked Pip, Will and me to attend a home visit in Tema which we did with our translator Asare.

We discovered it was the first birthday of Amee Yaa, a dear little girl with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. Her spine had been surgically closed soon after birth but no shunt had been inserted to drain the excess cerebral fluid at that time. When she reached 6 months old, it was clear that her head was swelling rapidly and that she needed the operation. Ghana’s National Health Service doesn’t extend to that surgery and Amee Yaa’s mother had to find 15 million Cedes (£750) to pay for it. This was a huge amount to find and even with family and friends all rallying round, took 3 months to raise...by which time Amee Yaa’s head had increased still further. However since the shunt was inserted, her condition had remained stable.


Amee Yaa and her mother lived in a “house compound” - a common arrange- ment in Ghana where the wider family can live and work together. Three aunts and their families also lived here and clearly both Amee Yaa and her mother enjoyed good family support.

We had a buggy to seat Amee Yaa which needed additional foam to keep her well supported, particularly her head which was too heavy to hold up on her own. Will and Pip did wonders with the foam while I explained to mum how to gently stretch the little girl’s legs each day to prevent contractures.
Before we left, we prayed for the mother and her young daughter and gave them a Bible with a verse at the beginning which is sometimes called “the Gospel in a nutshell” – “John 3 v16 For God loved the world so much He gave his only Son that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.”

It was noticeable how much more stimulating Amee Yaa found the upright position and as we left, she was wheeled into the family courtyard to be included in the socialising!

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