Yaa Mary has her finger on the pulse of Humjibre. A 56-year-old cocoa farmer, she spends most of her time tending her farm and caring for her 7 children and 4 grandchildren. Like many women here, she speaks in broken English and reads at a first grade level. But her involvement with GHEI sets her apart: Yaa Mary knows how to prevent and treat HIV, malaria, and diarrhea. She has distributed and hung hundreds of bednets. She has performed skits on national radio broadcasts. She is trained in surveying and interviewing for data collection.
She may be the oldest, least educated of GHEI’s Community Health Workers, but Yaa Mary’s enthusiasm and dedication has made her an integral part of the team. Calm and unassuming, she is always the first to arrive and the last to leave. She knows everyone in the community by name and everyone knows her. Whether she is harvesting cocoa or teaching people how to prevent malaria, she gives her all. Here is her story:
I come from Humibre, but my father was an Ashanti, so I attended primary school in Ashanti [a few hours from Humjibre]. By junior high, I returned to Humjibre. My father died, and I had no one to look after me, so I left school. Since then, I have been farming food and cocoa here in Humjibre. I learned about GHEI when they first started here in Humjibre around 2001. They were working in our community, helping us with health and education. I saw that GHEI had many good things to tell us, so I decided to become a CHW. That was 5 years ago.
Since then, I have learned so many things, but I am most interested in malaria. I think malaria is such a bad thing because it can kill you. And it kills people very early [in life]. As a CHW, I have also learned to respect people and keep confidentiality. I think that is why people always receive me well. I speak very slowly and easily so that they understand me. Whenever I am speaking to people, I always smile. Because I love my work.
Read more about the work of GHEI's Community Health Workers on our health program pages http://ghei.org/health/malaria_prevention.html
--Natalie Rich, GHEI Communications Director
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