In the quiet neighbourhood of Tishigu in the Northern Region, a young mother, Hansawu, watched her son Umar slowly waste away despite being born without any apparent health complications. Over the years, Umar’s weight plummeted, and his stomach swelled, leaving doctors puzzled. Medical advice and countless hospital visits yielded no answers, and when traditional remedies were suggested, his condition only worsened.
Eventually, specialists at the Tamale Teaching Hospital diagnosed Umar with Hirschsprung disease, a rare intestinal disorder that blocks normal bowel movement. His first surgery involved a colostomy—creating an opening in the abdomen to allow waste to exit. However, with treatment costs mounting, Hansawu’s small business collapsed. She turned to begging in market squares to pay hospital bills. Her marriage also fell apart under the strain, with her husband leaving and branding her a beggar.
As Umar required a second surgery to restore normal bowel function, Hansawu found herself out of options—until hope arrived in the form of Hereafter Ghana (MHP), a local nonprofit. In September 2023, the organisation raised over GH¢10,000 through local crowdfunding. The funds covered surgery, medication, and feeding support, and the operation at Tamale Teaching Hospital was successful. Today, Umar eats freely, plays with friends, and attends Islamic school—milestones that once seemed impossible.
Another child, two-year-old Nasara Mohammed from Dalogyili, faced a rare condition known as urethral agenesis, which left him unable to urinate. Within days of birth, the joy of his arrival gave way to panic. His family sold everything they owned to pay for emergency procedures and temporary relief. In June 2022, Hereafter Ghana stepped in again, raising GH¢12,000 to cover a catheter, multiple surgeries, and associated medical care. Though he battled infections and malaria, Nasara eventually recovered and now lives a healthy, pain-free life.
In the Ashanti Region, Giovanni, a three-year-old from Kumasi, was born with ruptured skull arteries that led to persistent bleeding. The condition was mismanaged initially, worsening the crisis. His mother, Mary Mandiya, depleted her business capital to save him. With nowhere else to turn, she contacted Hereafter Ghana in April 2022. The organisation raised GH¢19,000 in two weeks to fund corrective surgery at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. They later provided GH¢2,000 in capital to restart Mary’s fish-smoking business and covered rent to keep the family housed. Like any other child his age, Giovanni now thrives in school and play.
These are only a few of the nearly 168 emergency cases. Hereafter, Ghana has supported nationwide. Over the past decade, the organisation has raised over GH¢600,000 through social media campaigns on platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and GlobalGiving. Under the leadership of Health Education Specialist Nuhu Halima Sadia, the youth-led movement has become a beacon of hope for families in medical distress.
Halima and her team promote equitable healthcare, particularly in underserved rural areas. Their ability to mobilise donations quickly—often within days—has earned them praise online and among healthcare professionals, who frequently refer patients directly to the group when financial aid is the only option left.
Beyond emergency aid, MHP has registered more than 6,977 individuals onto Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), ensuring continued access to healthcare for women, children, and older adults. The organisation has plans to partner with regional and national NHIS secretariats to expand coverage to up to one million people, although a change in government recently delayed this initiative.
Looking forward, Hereafter Ghana aims to build a permanent healthcare facility for the most vulnerable, delivering free services in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3—ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all.
To manage sustainability, MHP now caps support at GH¢100,000 per patient. While this strategy helps balance donor fatigue and rising medical costs, it also means turning away some of the most critical cases—an emotional burden Halima and her team carry heavily.
The origins of MHP trace back to a simple act of compassion. While in senior high school, Halima and her friends noticed leftover food and items being discarded. They gathered these resources and donated them to an orphanage, an experience that ignited a lifelong commitment to service.
From collecting leftovers to saving lives, Hereafter Ghana has grown into a national force for good—fueled by empathy, driven by action, and sustained by the belief that no child should die from poverty and no mother should suffer for lack of medical care.
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