Accra-Ghana, Oct.31, GNA – Neighbors Connect, a humanitarian social group, has organised a free health screening and barbering exercise for members of the public, especially those in the streets.
The Group also gave the attendees clothing and fed them with packs of food and drinks.
The health screening exercise checked the HIV, Malaria, COVID-19, status of the people and their Blood Pressure, sugar levels and weights.
Homeless men who had grown bushy long ‘rasta’ hair due to their inability to afford barbering fee had their hair freely shaped and shaved.
Ms Josephine Ekua Asmah, Founder, Neighbors Connect, said the Group thought of the wellbeing of non-working and low earning members of the public who needed such support, especially during the challenging economic crisis, hence the gesture.
“Even those of us who are working, we are struggling to cope with the economic hardship and feeding, and in worse situations, these our brothers and sisters, some of whom are in the streets, are unable to afford a healthy meal within a day.
“Some have also never checked their health status, bought different clothing or visited the barbering saloon, and that is why it touched our hearts to do them this service,” she said.
Ms Asmah said the Group would organise similar projects to support the vulnerable across the country regularly.
She appealed to benevolent individuals and corporate organisations to support the Group with funds and logistics to enable them to touch more lives.
“We are glad some of the people have been able to change their clothes and known their health status,” she added.
Mrs Eva Eyram Morkeh, a Nurse at the Adabraka Polyclinic, who led a team to conduct the health screening exercise, said fortunately, most of the beneficiaries screened turned up negative for the tests except for high blood pressure, which was highly detected.
She said those with health concerns would be referred to the Polyclinic or other health facilities for counselling and care.
Mr Kwame Dadzie, a 34-year-old man living in the streets around the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, who took advantage of the exercise, expressed gratitude to Neighbors Connect for the gesture.
“We live in the streets, and I have been wearing the same attire for almost a month now. I was hungry and hadn’t eaten anything today, so I thank God for all these kind hearts. I also had my hair trimmed for free. It was bushy and rough,” he said.
Neighbors Connect is a social group, which started from Facebook three years ago and extended to WhatsApp with more than 2,120 members with a vision to become a great life-impacting nongovernmental organisation.
The Group believes the internet has made the world a small community, thereby making members from across the globe, neighbours with a responsibility to support themselves and society.
