Mastercard Foundation and Ghana Red Cross Society Team Up to Tackle COVID-19

01 September 2020, Accra – The Mastercard Foundation and the Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) have announced the roll-out of a new partnership to support Ghana’s COVID-19 response. The partnership will provide personal protective equipment (PPEs) to frontline workers across the country, including remote communities within the Western, Volta, Central, Northern and Ashanti Regions, while enabling volunteers to:

1. Lead nationwide sensitization on COVID-19 safety protocols;
2. Facilitate community engagement; and
3. Support early detection and contact tracing efforts through a collaboration between the GRCS and the Ghana Health Service at the municipal, district, and community levels.

The $645,000 partnership, part of the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program in Ghana, will enable the distribution of PPEs to Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds and community health facilities. The Ghana Red Cross Society will also provide increased access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services for vulnerable communities and health centres through the distribution of handwashing kits, including veronica buckets, detergents, and hand sanitizers.

“Equipping our frontline workers, volunteers, and community-based health centres, who are the primary care providers for the majority of our people, is critical in this collective battle against the Coronavirus. This partnership allows us to undertake targeted community level engagement to provide information on prevention, and to support with monitoring and contact tracing in peri-urban and hard-to-reach rural communities. We are grateful to the Mastercard Foundation for supporting this intervention that enables us to reach out to those who need our support the most,” said Dr. Kingsley Preko, Vice President of Ghana’s Red Cross Society, at an event to kick off the implementation of the program.

The GRCS will tap into its network of volunteers nationwide to raise awareness and disseminate Ghana Health Service approved information in local languages at the community level and will set up community-based surveillance systems for early case detection and referrals.

“We are grateful to be working with a partner that has such extensive experience in delivering emergency public health and safety services and information to the most vulnerable in our communities.  We believe such institutions, which will play a central role in enabling recovery from this crisis, as well as building long-term resilience should be supported and equipped to do so,” added Nathalie Gabala, Mastercard Foundation’s Head for Western, Central, and Northern Africa.

The distribution of PPEs and activation of community information and surveillance systems have commenced across the country.

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The Ghana Red Cross Society

The Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) is a local non-governmental organization which focuses on humanitarian work. GRCS is member of the International Federation of Red Cross since 1969. The organization is an existing network of 800 trained volunteers across rural communities in Ghana.

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest, private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management.

For more information on the Foundation, please visit: www.mastercardfdn.org

About the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program

The Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program has two main goals. First, to deliver emergency support for health workers, first responders, and students. Second, to strengthen the diverse institutions that are the first line of defense against the social and economic aftermath of this disease. These include universities, financial services providers, businesses, technology start-ups, incubators, government agencies, youth organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

Media contacts:

For the Ghana Red Cross Society

Dr. Eric Asamoah Darko

Email: eric.asamoahdarko@redcrossghana.org

M: 0243016066

For the Mastercard Foundation

Kweku Ahiagble

Email: rkahiagble@mastercardfdn.org

M: 0596914024