The president of the Asaase Foundation and lead consultant for Asaase Broadcasting’s international partnerships, Kojo Mensah, joined public health officials on Friday (15 July 2022) to commission a new dialysis centre for the Upper West Regional Hospital.
The Asaase Foundation – established to drive corporate social responsibility initiatives for Asaase – has been raising funds to support people suffering from kidney disease.
In February this year, the Foundation held a charity ball to increase awareness, educate the public about kidney health and raise funds for dialysis machines and treatment.
Speaking in an interview with Benjamin Offei-Addo on The Asaase Breakfast Show, Mensah said the station is passionate about kidney-related diseases, because “one of our external contributors was actually someone suffering from kidney problems”.
“He was undergoing dialysis and we got to know more about kidney care. So, we learned a bit more about the concerns and problems of people in Ghana,” the veteran broadcaster said.
Trained specialised staff
Dr Robert Amesiya, the Upper West regional medical director and director of medical service, witnessed the commissioning of the dialysis centre.
“We have trained technicians and a group of nurses who will be operating the machines as well,” said Uncle Kojo, as he is affectionately called.
The Foundation has so far raised over GHC1 million to support individuals with kidney disease. Among leading sponsors of the Asaase Foundation are KGL Foundation, Ghana Water Company Ltd, Bank of Ghana, GO Energy, Ghana EXIM Bank and the Ghana Free Zones Authority.
Others are the National Petroleum Authority, National Lottery Authority, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Consolidated Bank Ghana, Africa Legal Associates, the South African High Commissioner and Cynthia Adjei.
“We were able to get together and organise a charity ball,” Kojo Mensah said, “and raise initial funds. Certain sponsors came on board, including the former first lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the Second Lady, Samira Bawumia, and some corporate sponsors as well.”
Touching on the Asaase Kidney Care Campaign, he said: “We selected three key locations that urgently needed these dialysis machines, notably Wa, Sunyani and Tarkwa.
“Wa has already had its dialysis machines installed. We are going to commission Sunyani. After that, we will be commissioning the third [dialysis centre] in Tarkwa.”
New campaign
The Asaase Foundation has launched a new campaign in collaboration with Asaase Broadcasting Company to provide support for people who are looking after elderly people in their homes.
“After we are done with the first three,” Mensah said, “we are looking at where the greatest need is.
“We have started a campaign, using the radio station, to provide support to people who are looking after elderly people in their homes, providing guidance and counselling, and seeing how we can build on that programme.
“Apart from that, we are looking at plastic campaigns as well. These are the two major ones at the moment beyond the kidney care, which doesn’t stop. We will just be adding on to that.”
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