Although she hadn’t thought about healthcare in Ghana before, Eyeson-Akiwowo, with the help of 21 friends, organized the first Gift of Life @ Christmas health fair to thank the community for aiding in her father’s recovery. The fair offered blood pressure screenings, glucose testing, dental consultations, instruction in breast self-examinations, and discussions in healthy living. More than 340 Ghanaians attended, exceeding Eyeson-Akiwowo’s original estimate of 40 to 100. Inspired by the fair’s success, Eyeson-Akiwowo formed African Health Now (www.africanhealthnow.org) in March 2007, after returning to the U.S. Focused on promoting the health and healthcare of people of African descent, the nonprofit provides information and access to resources through conferences, workshops, health fairs, and ongoing programs.
Since December 2006, African Health Now has held five health fairs, each of which attracted 350 attendees and cost around $6,000. Each fair is managed by an average of 25 volunteers who hail from Ghana, the U.K., or the U.S. African Health Now has also partnered with other nonprofits, including the Millennium Cities Initiative Village, which fights to end poverty in Old Tafo, Kumasi (a neighborhood and city in Ghana), and the Enslavement Prevention Alliance West Africa, which combats human trafficking. This year, African Health Now is looking to partner with churches in New York to hold health fairs that target the African immigrant community. “A majority of African immigrants here don’t have health insurance,†says Eyeson-Akiwowo. “A lot of Africans are bringing their health issues from the continent here to the U.S.†And what of Eyeson-Akiwowo’s father? “He’s doing great.â€
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