What once looked like a roadside provision shop in the Eastern Region is now a beacon of healthcare and hope.

Four years ago, Nana Okyere, Charter President of the Rotary Club of Ring Road Central, stopped in Berekuso looking for a drink.

Thirsty and scanning for a shop, she nearly walked into what she thought was a kiosk, only to be told it was the community’s only health facility.

“She discovered Berekuso some four years ago. She stopped in front of the old clinic to buy water because she thought it was a corner shop. She was thirsty. And when she got into the shop, they said this is a clinic and not a shop,” Rotary President Albert Bahum-Wilson recounted.

That dusty wooden structure is now history.

With no government support available and the existing clinic in dire condition, the Rotary Club of Ring Road Central and its partners stepped in. Today, Berekuso boasts a $200,000 ultra-modern health centre, built from the ground up to serve generations.

“So this will be able to deliver better healthcare to the people of Berekuso and its environment,” Bahum-Wilson noted.

Even the Municipal Director of Health Services at the time, Emely Amponsah, remembers how bad things were.

“The old facility was very depleting. Where we were, there were no rooms. The space was very small,” she said.

Rotary International President-Elect, Mario Cesar Martins de Camargo, who visited the new facility during his tour of Ghana, was visibly moved by the transformation.

“People will come here and see your work and will help you to develop better service, better screening process, better equipment, and a better life for the people of the community of Berekuso. So, take advantage,” he said.

For Rotary, this is more than infrastructure. It’s about impact.

District Governor Florence Maame Hagan called the clinic a model project: “Beyond the bricks and mortar, this project embodies Rotary's commitment to sustainability. Together, we are building not just a facility, but a living, breathing asset for generations to come.”

The Chief of Berekuso, Nana Oteng Kuranchie II, has pledged to rally the community around maintaining the clinic to ensure it serves long into the future.

And the work is far from done. Rotary Club President Albert Bahum-Wilson says the next phase is equipping the centre with state-of-the-art tools, especially for maternal and child health.

“We are in discussions with sponsors, and they are willing to assist. So we’re hoping to soon have top-tier equipment here… we are not packing our tools and going away,” he emphasised.
From a dusty shack to a shining symbol of service, Berekuso’s new clinic stands as a powerful testament to what “Service Above Self” truly means.