A three-year-old boy from Tishigu in the Northern Region, Umar Ahmed, was born without any noticeable health complications. Over time however, his mother, Hansawu, became increasingly worried as he began losing weight and the situation deteriorated.
Despite repeated visits to the hospital and closely following medical advice, Umar’s inability to gain weight persisted. After two years of unproductive check-ups, his symptoms worsened, including a swollen stomach and other alarming signs.
Doctors remained unable to determine the cause, prompting a recommendation to try traditional remedies, an attempt that only aggravated his condition.
Eventually, specialists at the Tamale Teaching Hospital diagnosed Umar with Hirschsprung disease, a rare disorder that causes a blockage in the intestines, preventing normal bowel movements.
His treatment began with a colostomy, a surgical procedure that created an opening in his abdomen to allow waste to exit the body.
Umar Ahmed’s journey to recovery was anything but easy. His treatment placed enormous financial strain on his mother, whose small business eventually collapsed under the weight of mounting medical expenses.
Desperate to save her son’s life, Hansawu sought help from family, friends, and strangers. “I had to beg at the market square for money. I accepted whatever was given to me, even coins,” she recalled.
“It went against my will, but I had no other choice.” For every medical bill, she returned to the streets, pleading for funds to keep her son alive.
The financial pressure took a toll on her marriage as well. Umar’s father, Ahmed, divorced her, calling her a “beggar.” Still, Hansawu refused to give up, driven by the hope of seeing her son live a normal life.
Umar needed a second operation to reverse the colostomy and enable him to pass stool naturally. But by then, Hansawu had exhausted all her resources and support had dried up. “I gave up at a point, because there was no help coming from anywhere,” she said.
In September 2023, hope arrived. Hereafter Ghana (MHP), a local nonprofit, heard Umar’s story and intervened. Through local fundraising efforts, the organisation raised over GH¢10,000, covering the cost of surgery, medications, and feeding for Umar and his family.
The surgery, conducted at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) under the supervision of a known medical doctor, was successful.
“Their support is what saved my son. Everything I did would have been in vain if they hadn’t stepped in,” Hansawu said, fighting back tears.
Today, Umar is healthy and thriving. He attends Islamic school, eats freely, and plays with friends, milestones once unimaginable due to his previous condition.
Hansawu remains deeply grateful to Hereafter Ghana. “Without them, my son’s life would have remained full of pain and limitations,” she said.
MHP intervention saves 2-year-old Nasara from rare birth condition
Two-year-old Nasara Mohammed from Dalogyili, also in the Northern Region was born healthy, but just three days later, his family’s joy turned to fear.
Nasara developed urethral agenesis, a rare condition where there is no opening in the penis for urine to exit. The life-threatening condition left him in constant pain and discomfort.
“Three days after he was born, he couldn’t urinate, so we rushed him back to the hospital,” said his father, Mohammed Abubakari.
Doctors inserted a temporary tube into Nasara’s abdomen to allow him to urinate, but it was only a short-term solution. Desperate to save their son, the family sold all their belongings to pay mounting hospital bills. “My husband sold everything we had,” his mother said, recalling their anguish.
In June 2022, Hereafter Ghana (MHP) learned about Nasara’s condition and launched a fundraising campaign to support his treatment.
With help from donors, the organisation raised GH¢12,000, enabling the purchase of a suprapubic catheter and funding multiple surgeries and follow-up treatments.
After his initial surgery to create a urinary passage, Nasara battled malaria and infections, further complicating his recovery. MHP stood by the family, covering all associated medical expenses.
Eventually, Nasara underwent his final surgery successfully. Today, he is a healthy and active child, indistinguishable from his peers.
“Nasara is like any other child now. He can play, laugh, and live without pain,” she said. “We have no words to express our thanks. You gave us back our son.”
Lifeline for Giovanni
Far from Northern Region, in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, 3-year-old Giovanni faced a life-threatening condition from the moment he was born. He was diagnosed with ruptured skull arteries, which caused persistent bleeding from his scalp, an urgent medical crisis that demanded immediate surgical intervention.
Giovanni’s mother, Mary Mandiya, recounted how the problem started. “When I was about to be discharged, the nurse told us to use methylated spirit once we got home,” she explained. Trusting the advice, she applied the antiseptic for two weeks. But instead of healing, Giovanni began to bleed profusely from his head.
Alarmed, Mary rushed her son back to the hospital. “The specialist examined him but said nothing. So, I returned home helpless,” she said.
A week later, as Mary herself fell ill, she seized the opportunity to seek proper care for her son. Upon their return to the hospital, Giovanni was admitted and placed on oxygen. His health became a revolving door of hospital visits. Mary, having spent all her business capital on medical bills, found herself financially and emotionally drained, but she refused to give up.
On April 13, 2022, Mary reached out to Hereafter Ghana (MHP) for help. The organisation launched a two-week fundraising campaign and successfully raised GH¢19,000, which covered Giovanni’s post-surgery needs and a crucial corrective surgery at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi. MHP’s intervention not only saved Giovanni’s life but also offered Mary a path toward recovery.
But the journey wasn’t over. With her fish smoking business collapsed, Mary had no stable income. Once again, MHP extended its support, providing GH¢2,000 in capital to revive her small business.
“I use the daily profit for his basic needs and medical bills,” Mary shared.
The organisation also stepped in to cover their rent, ensuring the family had a safe place to live while Giovanni recovered.
Today, Giovanni is thriving, attending school, playing with friends, and living like any other child his age. For Mary, the kindness and intervention of MHP not only saved her son’s life but restored her dignity and hope.
600K cedis raised for emergency health cases nationwide
Over the past decade, Hereafter Ghana (MHP) has offered life-saving financial support to nearly 168 individuals across the country, using the power of social media and digital platforms to crowdfund for urgent medical needs.
Led by Health Education Specialist Nuhu Halima Sadia, MHP operates across platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and GlobalGiving, rallying public support for children and families who would otherwise be unable to afford critical healthcare.
Through small donations, ranging from just 10 to 50 cedis and beyond, Halima and her team have successfully raised over 600,000 cedis to fund surgeries, medication, and hospital bills. The swift mobilisation of funds, sometimes within days or weeks, has earned MHP widespread praise across social media.
“Our mission is to promote equitable access to healthcare, especially in rural areas where medical services are limited,” Halima emphasised. “No other developmental intervention can thrive if people are not healthy.”
MHP has built a reputation for intervening in dire medical cases, especially those involving children with life-threatening conditions.
Many of these cases are referred by health professionals or even friends on social media who recognise the organisation’s consistent commitment to saving lives.
“When health workers identify a patient in the ward who genuinely cannot afford medication or surgery, they often reach out or recommend us to step in,” Halima explained.
Some of the patients MHP supports are children and mothers seen begging on the streets, desperate for help after being discharged with unaffordable medical bills.
The organisation intervenes to ensure they receive the care they need without the added burden of financial distress.
“I prioritise cases involving children and mothers. They are the most vulnerable, and their needs are often the most urgent,” Halima said.
“In many cases, providing timely intervention is the difference between life and death.”
Beyond direct medical aid, MHP is committed to long-term solutions. One of its key initiatives is registering beneficiaries under the national health insurance scheme.
To date, more than 6,977 people, including women, children, and the elderly, have been enrolled, ensuring they have continued access to essential healthcare services.
Halima indicated that plans were far advanced to collaborate with the regional and national NHIS Secretariats to extend coverage to up to one million people.
However, due to a change in government, the process had to restart to ensure effective collaboration.
Looking ahead, MHP plans to establish a dedicated facility to serve the most vulnerable at no cost. The facility will offer essential healthcare services and contribute toward Ghana’s national health goals, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
“Our goal is to build a system where no child dies because of poverty and no mother suffers for lack of medical care,” Halima said. “By supporting the health of our people, we are investing in the future of our communities.”
To stay afloat, MHP caps support at 100K cedis per patient
Every day, MHP is confronted with new referrals from patients in urgent need of medical care. Many of these cases involve serious health conditions requiring astronomical amounts of money, far beyond what struggling families can afford.
Founder Halima said that while MHP is passionate about helping all who reach out, rising medical costs and limited donor resources have forced the organisation to make tough decisions.
“It has become increasingly difficult to manage the rising costs of treatment for such patients,” Halima said. “Given our past experiences, we’ve had to adjust our focus to support conditions that require treatment under 100,000 cedis.”
The shift, while necessary for sustainability, has also meant turning away some critically ill patients, a heartbreaking outcome for families who come to MHP as a last resort.
“Donor fatigue, a lack of diversified funding sources for emergencies, and challenges in managing our donor database all hinder our efforts,” Halima explained.
Despite these setbacks, Halima and her team remain committed to doing whatever they can for those within reach, offering hope, healthcare, and humanity to Ghana’s most vulnerable, one life at a time.
The inspiration behind MHP traces back to Halima’s time in senior high school. In their final year, she and her friends noticed that many students were leaving behind food and personal items.
Moved by a desire to make a difference, they collected the leftover supplies and donated them to an orphanage.
“That experience opened our eyes to the power of giving,” Halima reflected. “It marked the beginning of our journey to help those in need.”
What began as a simple act of kindness has grown into a youth-led movement now supporting individuals, orphanages, prisons, hospitals, and vulnerable communities across Ghana.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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