Mission
The mission of SPAID is to establish partnerships with local communities and NGOs in Ghana and carry out research which helps elucidate community needs and facilitate community based development that is sustainable, ethical, and inclusive. SPAID seeks to gather the information necessary to empower a community to develop from within, based on self-determined need.
History
SPIMA was an international medical service trip, and was founded in 2006 by a small group of students at the College of William and Mary with the goal of improving healthcare in rural communities in Ghana. To accomplish this goal, SPIMA partnered with a local health clinic based in the city of Ho in Ghana's Volta Region. Through this partnership, SPIMA was able to set up mobile health clinics in rural villages throughout the region. These clinics were 100% free, and patients were given appointments with a doctor and provided with medications. On average, we saw nearly 200 patients each day through these clinics. After our trip in March 2011, we realized that our model did not meet our goal for community sustainability or have a real lasting impact in the lives of community members. Although our clinics did provide much needed short-term medical assistance, our impact was just that -- short-term. In order to continue working towards completing our mission, we needed to rework our organizational model.
During the summer of 2011, two SPIMA members spent 5 weeks conducting ethnographic research in a number of villages just outside the city of Hohoe. Through their research, we significantly improved our understanding of how Ghanaians view medicine and healthcare, how the Ghanaian health insurance scheme works, and how Ghanaians receive their care. After analyzing this information, we came to the understanding that the best way for SPIMA to make a lasting impact was to form a long term partnership with a specific community. To us, this meant future projects we selected were no longer our projects. Rather, they are the community's projects – and our role is one of support in helping them complete it.
Three years ago, we began our relationship with a village just outside of Hohoe named Fodome Ahor (sometimes spelled Axor). In May 2012 at the request of the community, we assisted them in building a public toilet in a joint effort to improve sanitation and prevent disease in the village. The toilet is expected to provide the community with a cleaner and healthier environment in the future. In the early summer of 2013, our team returned to evaluate the past year's toilet project and to continue conducting ethnography research. Additionally, renovations to the community's health clinic were made to improve the delivery and quality of care being received in Fodome Axor.
This past May, SPIMA excitedly returned to construct a six-stall toilet near the primary school. Based on past survey answers, this project was coordinated in hopes that it will prelude a large-scale construction of a new primary school - a much needed facility for the advancement of the children's education. We were fortunate enough to incorporate health presentation lectures, provided by a member of Ghana Health Services' local Communicable Disease Control Office, as well as provide information on registering for and renewing expired National Health Insurance Scheme cards. As in the past, we also continued our interviews with village members to continuously evaluate our role and to strengthen our relationship with the community.
In August 2014, the name of our organization was changed to Student Partnership for Aid and International Development (SPAID). After much consideration, the name was chosen as an accurate reflection of the group's current focus and as a better representation of our recent and future projects in Ghana. SPAID will maintain the same precepts previously held by SPIMA and will continue to cultivate the partnership with our NGO partner and community members.
What Are We Doing Now?
A thorough examination of this year's ethnography answers will provide insight for our return to Fodome Axor in May 2015, and we will be bringing on new members in the Fall of 2014. Throughout the year, our NGO partner will maintain contact with the community and will serve as our liaison for updates on past projects.
During the summer of 2011, two SPIMA members spent 5 weeks conducting ethnographic research in a number of villages just outside the city of Hohoe. Through their research, we significantly improved our understanding of how Ghanaians view medicine and healthcare, how the Ghanaian health insurance scheme works, and how Ghanaians receive their care. After analyzing this information, we came to the understanding that the best way for SPIMA to make a lasting impact was to form a long term partnership with a specific community. To us, this meant future projects we selected were no longer our projects. Rather, they are the community's projects – and our role is one of support in helping them complete it.
Three years ago, we began our relationship with a village just outside of Hohoe named Fodome Ahor (sometimes spelled Axor). In May 2012 at the request of the community, we assisted them in building a public toilet in a joint effort to improve sanitation and prevent disease in the village. The toilet is expected to provide the community with a cleaner and healthier environment in the future. In the early summer of 2013, our team returned to evaluate the past year's toilet project and to continue conducting ethnography research. Additionally, renovations to the community's health clinic were made to improve the delivery and quality of care being received in Fodome Axor.
This past May, SPIMA excitedly returned to construct a six-stall toilet near the primary school. Based on past survey answers, this project was coordinated in hopes that it will prelude a large-scale construction of a new primary school - a much needed facility for the advancement of the children's education. We were fortunate enough to incorporate health presentation lectures, provided by a member of Ghana Health Services' local Communicable Disease Control Office, as well as provide information on registering for and renewing expired National Health Insurance Scheme cards. As in the past, we also continued our interviews with village members to continuously evaluate our role and to strengthen our relationship with the community.
In August 2014, the name of our organization was changed to Student Partnership for Aid and International Development (SPAID). After much consideration, the name was chosen as an accurate reflection of the group's current focus and as a better representation of our recent and future projects in Ghana. SPAID will maintain the same precepts previously held by SPIMA and will continue to cultivate the partnership with our NGO partner and community members.
What Are We Doing Now?
A thorough examination of this year's ethnography answers will provide insight for our return to Fodome Axor in May 2015, and we will be bringing on new members in the Fall of 2014. Throughout the year, our NGO partner will maintain contact with the community and will serve as our liaison for updates on past projects.