When Rural Health Collective (RHC) founders Jason and Olivia Kroening-Roche (07) began their work in Ghana they had one goal: equip and support local women to mitigate health issues in their communities. Since they started their work in 2010, their commitment to working with the Kekeli women has only deepened.
“Kekeli” means “light” or “God of Light” in the Ewe language. It speaks to the way that the women who are trained by RHC bring the light and are the light for their communities in the Akatsi region. These women act as beacons, keepers of knowledge, and wellness experts to those around them. Their impact is substantial. Follow the light to its source and you’ll find RHC and the Kroening-Roches training and educating along with their Ghanaian staff.
For the RHC staff, working in this specific area of Ghana started back in college at PLNU. For Olivia, it was a LoveWorks trip. For Jason, it began with a medical research trip to Ghana during the summer of 2008. Before they met, the two PLNU graduates had independently spent time on trips abroad that would open their eyes to the needs of other communities.
“Over the next two to three years, I was in communication with the folks I met there,” said Jason. “We were preparing for the launch of what would become RHC.”
Olivia and Jason were both finishing up their degrees at PLNU at the time and had just started dating.
“One of the things we spent time talking about together and connected over was the different wealth and provision levels we had seen abroad,” said Olivia. “Our worlds had both become a lot bigger and we had a lot of curiosity around how to engage with that.”
After graduation, Jason and Olivia got married and settled in San Diego. Both were earning additional medical certifications while continuing to prepare for the launch of RHC. In 2010, they decided to get their friends together for a house party where they presented their ideas for a global impact and asked for donations to get the program off the ground. The following January, they held their first training in Akatsi. The cohort of women numbered just 15.
“The special thing about this program is that the Kekeli women are all from their own communities,” said Jason. “They all have their own line of work as teachers, farmers, seamstresses, and then they are also trained with us to take that knowledge back to their communities.”
Akatsi, previously a single district, has been split into two areas: north and south. The district itself has well over 150 communities that range from 30 individuals all the way up to one thousand. Each one is unique unto itself with its own traditions and ways of life. They do not often interact or mix.
Additionally, many of the communities in Ghana have a mistrust of government clinics, either due to negative personal experiences or word of mouth. As a result, treatment is not often sought out. RHC aims to make treatment more available by working with community members who are already well known. By training trusted women from these communities, RHC is taking an empathetic and effective approach to medical instruction.
“We have observed that women in communities are often the decision makers when it comes to accessing care for the children, cooking, and cleaning, but don’t always have as much power socially,” said Olivia. “By putting the education in their hands they have the opportunity to exercise a different kind of power.”
Training for the Kekeli women consists of three stages of Home Based Life Saving Skills (HBLSS) which provide instruction on how to look for issues during birth. They are also trained in antenatal monitoring, the process of coaching women during pregnancy, which is vital in preparing a mother to give birth. Other topics that RHC covers include COVID-19, malaria, hygiene and sanitation, nutrition and hydration, and family planning. Of all of these, pregnancy and birth may be one of the most difficult issues to address.
“Often, the distance to care alone increases the risks around giving birth. By training women who are already members of communities located far from hospitals, RHC is helping to ensure access to immediate care is less of an issue.”
Often, the distance to care alone increases the risks around giving birth. By training women who are already members of communities located far from hospitals, RHC is helping to ensure access to immediate care is less of an issue.
The success of RHC is in the numbers of community members who have continued to participate in training over the years. Even with the pandemic, RHC boasts a retention percentage in the high 90s. The latest cohort was 24 strong. With this level of success, the next question is usually around expansion and how to bring the same programming to different areas of Ghana. But Jason and Olivia feel very strongly about their connection to Akatsi and don’t have any plans to expand to other locations.
“We are committed to working with these women and that’s something we take very seriously,” said Jason. “We want to stay laser focused on Akatsi rather than expand because we know that will impact the quality. We don’t want to get too thin.”
These days the Kroening-Roche family just welcomed their second child, so trips to Ghana won’t be in the works until they have a bit more time. But their commitment to Akatsi and the Kekeli women remains steadfast through their local Ghanaian staff who have continued to provide training. Indeed, the future looks bright for the development of accessible healthcare practices for the communities of Akatsi.
