Over the past 24 months, from April 2018 to March 2020, the Empowered Deaf Women for Healthy Life (EMDEWOHL), sexual and reproductive health (SRH) project, sponsored by Safe Abortion Action Fund of International Planned Parenthood Federation (SAAF) used innovative strategies to improve access to SRH information and services for deaf people in Ghana. The energy injected into the implementation of the project, coupled with the results achieved within the 24 months, have been wonderful. EMDEWOHL witnessed genuine collaborative engagement among members of Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), district, municipal and metropolitan directors of Ghana Health Services (GHS), the Ministry of Health (MoH), selected health facilities in six project districts, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in SRH, and the media, to address the SRH needs of deaf people in Ghana.
This collaborative engagement has resulted in significant improvement in access to SRH information and services to deaf people. For example, facilities within some districts, municipal and metropolitan assemblies have started to prioritize provision of quality SRH services to deaf women and girls. Some have also started gathering data on hospital visits by deaf women and girls to monitor the extent to which deaf women and girls access SRH services and information. These developments have resulted in enhanced access to quality SRH services delivery to deaf people.
The achievements of the project were made possible through several activities. The project gave deaf women and girls of reproductive age, power through series of sensitization programmes, to make informed and independent decisions regarding safe abortion, family planning, and contraceptive use.
In-school adolescents. both girls and boys, were not left out in the EMDEWOHL project. For example, adolescent girls and boys from Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf, Bechem School for the Deaf, Savelugu School for the Deaf received sensitization on various topics around SRH issues.
There were sensitization programmes for 600 deaf women and girls through 12 community awareness durbars, and over 5000 members through innovative sign language videos on SRH issues. These activities were aimed at addressing knowledge and awareness gap among deaf women and girls on SRH issues.
Further, efforts were made to improve the knowledge of health care workers from selected facilities in the six project districts on deafness. Subsequently, 76 health workers were sensitized on the A – Z of the SRH needs of the deaf community. These activities have enhanced health workers’ knowledge and understanding of the deaf community.
Challenges relating to access to SRH for deaf women and girls in Ghana were opened up for discussions at the national level, with the MoH, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, National Council on Persons with Disability, municipal and metropolitan directors of GHS, CSOs, with the media actively taking part. Existing studies on SRH with deaf people showed that communication barriers are the greatest factors impeding access to SRH services and information.
Despite the achievements, much however remains to be done. For example, what happens to the rest of the 216 districts in Ghana, where the project was not implemented? What happens with some deaf people who did not have smart phones to receive and view the various SRH videos?
As a CSO and as highlighted in our position paper to the MoH/GHS, GNAD continues to emphasize that, although disabled people in general are most disadvantaged, deaf people’s situation may be worse due to communication barriers. We therefore entreat the MoH, to as matter of urgency, take proactive and sustained measures to address the communication issues hindering access to health care to deaf people.
Let me use this opportunity to congratulate all partners under the EMDEWOHL project. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the efforts of the six districts, municipal and metropolitan directors of GHS, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Savelugu Municipality, Tamale Municipality, Tano South District, Sunyani Municipality, and Ashaiman Municipality for the support they provided to ensure the success of project. I also acknowledge the efforts of the three regional directors of GHS. A lot of gains have been made and we encourage the district municipal and metropolitan assemblies to hard work to sustain these gains.
For SAAF, we say thank you for the generous financial support.
Juventus Duorinaah
GNAD Executive Director