The Health Evolution and Lifestyle Empowerment Hub (HELEH) Africa Foundation, the health arm of B-HeCK Non-Governmental Organisation alliance has launched a campaign to help fight against stigmatisation and discrimination against COVID-19 survivors. 

The foundation has also set up a comprehensive mechanism aimed at fishing out and managing COVID-19 survivors so as to avert any long-term complications related to the disease. 

The campaign dubbed, "SCED CHALLENGE", was launched in Accra, on July 16, 2020, under the theme: "Uniting the world to fight a common enemy". The SCED CHALLENGE also seeks to celebrate COVID-19 survivors as well as to empower frontline workers. 

The Global President of HELEH Africa Foundation, Dr Benedicta Ohene-Manu, said the campaign aims at complementing government’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19 through an all-inclusive approach mainly via social media. 

She explained that SCED is an acronym that stands for "Say no to stigmatisation and discrimination against COVID-19 survivors”, Celebrate COVID-19 survivors, Empower front line workers, Demonstrate the various COVID-19 preventive protocols and donate. 

"The SCED challenge is a humanitarian campaign activity comprising a one to two minutes video recording of yourself propagating, “say no to stigmatization and discrimination” against COVID-19 survivors, celebrating them as heroes and empowering our gallant frontline workers for their efforts in protecting us from COVID-19 whilst demonstrating your knowledge of the COVID-19 preventative protocols and then contribute your quota as a patriotic citizen, by donating to support the deprived, the needy and those who have been affected economically by the COVID-19 atmosphere," Dr Ohene-Manu explained. 

"The video ends by endorsing the challenge and then throwing the challenge to five more colleagues to do same," she noted. 

This campaign is in its third phase; rolling out endorsement videos from renowned person in various sectors. This first video by Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Presidential Adviser on health has hit the air waves. There’s more to come.  

These videos will be followed by the launch of the SCED Challenge App (phase four), to enable all partakers to record their challenge videos easier and smarter and share. The participant with the most unique and right demonstration of the preventative protocols, will be selected at random as the SCED challenge ambassador of the month amidst some gift vouchers to serve as side attraction," Dr. Ohene-Manu said. 

Phase five involves a door-to-door sensitisation especially amongst the rural community, with phase six involving a special initiative to provide COVID-19 survivors healthcare support through dynamic monitoring and management mechanisms. 

The Deputy Information Minister, Mr. Pius Enam Hadzide who said the government would continue to partner relevant organisations in the fight against COVID-19 in the country, in endorsing the challenge during its launch also called for his turn to take up the challenge upon realising the impact of the challenge in its inital stages. 

The SCED CHALLENGE is partnered by other renowed institutions including The Ghana Red Cross Society and Oxfam in Ghana. Ultimately analyzing the current trend of the pandemic in Ghana, the global president acknowledged that there has been a significant improvement due to Ghanaian's ardent cooperation and adherance to the recommended preventative measures layed down by government and we believe this is the time the people of Ghana, America and across the world needed an extensive motivation and empowerment to finish hard especially when it is generally said that last days are dangerous.  

Hence we chose the last quater of the year since we are well aware of it being an election campaign era coupled with some festive occasion and a christmas euphoria which could highly foster the temptation of gathering among people and consequently pose a threat of setting the breeding ground for the possibe reescalation of the pandemic as we see happening in other countries. 

Hence we chose to run this initiative at this time to serve as the best check and balance at this crucial time to further prompt all and sundry per the need to keep adhering to the preventative protocols regardless the social temptation and influence to do otherwise.