On Monday, October 18, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Melinda Tabler-Stone and other officials and dignitaries participated in the national launch of Rotary Family Health Days.

The program is initiated and managed by Rotary International in partnership with governmental and non-governmental organizations to provide health screening services to vulnerable children, women, and men throughout Ghana.

The United States Agency for International development (USAID) has supported Rotary Family Health Days in Ghana for the past three years.

Rotary Family Health Days is taking place two days after the launch, from October 20-22. Fifty beneficiary communities in Greater Accra, Eastern, Western, Central, Ashanti, and Volta Regions will receive HIV counseling and testing; screenings for tuberculosis, diabetes and blood pressure; childhood vaccinations and vitamin A supplementation; deworming; family planning education; condom distribution; and eye health testing.

The event has been taking place each year in Ghana since 2014, and last year’s event reached more than 37,000 people. This year, the event aims to reach 50,000 people.

“We could not be happier to support Rotary Family Health Days for the third year in a row,” said Ms. Tabler-Stone at the launch. “The U.S. government has a proud history of partnering with Rotary International in Ghana. Our partnerships have touched thousands of lives.”

Rotary International is a key partner of USAID. From 2009 to 2013, USAID and Rotary International cooperated to improve access to water and sanitation for more than 46,000 people. Last August, they signed a second partnership to scale up these results throughout the country.