Guestbook Entries

My name is Rashid Kawawa, a male. I trained as a teacher and a development specialist. I am currently pursuing a master of philosophy in Community Health and Development at the University for Development Studies-Ghana, hoping to help ensure a healthy Ghana and the world as a whole with my new skills.

Globally, there is wide acclamation of the importance of sanitation to education, health, well being and development. However the attention given to sanitation issues especially in Ghana is so scant with about 90% of Ghana's population having no access to improved basic sanitation (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, 2008). Studies have shown that schools lacking such amenities as toilets and access to water create an unwelcome environment which leads to absenteeism and finally resulting into drop out, (The Borgen Project. The importance of sanitation to education, Feb.2013)
In Bolgatanga Secondary School, this issue has reached crisis proportion because even though there are some few toilet facilities around, they are so dysfunctional that almost all the students (1000+ , both sexes), practice open defecation. This practice undermines their dignity and compromises their fundamental human right. The Community Tool Box will help me to design an intervention tailored to mobilize resources that can provide basic water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure to make Bolga Secondary School the destination for effective academic work. But also, the intervention will inculcate education and awareness creation into the students to bring about the desired behavior change, especially the issue with open defecation. This will allow the students to stay healthy and improve performance. KAWAWA

I am currently offering a Master's degree in Community Health and Development at the University for Development Studies. I am a biomedical scientist by profession but intends to be a community development worker so as to help bring about positive change in the rural communities of Ghana.
The northern part of Ghana over the years have been faced with several developmental issues and i have been inspired, motivated and charged to contribute my quota in bringing about development within that zone which i happen to find my hometown.
I intend to act as a link between communities and a range of other authorities and partners who have the interest in community development. By doing this, it would give me the opportunity to frequently address inequalities and problems in various communities that are usually perceived to be culturally,socially and demographically disadvantaged.

As a community development trainee,the Community Tool Box will help me bring about social change and improve the quality of life of the local areas which i work in. Thus, it would help me plan as to what the community needs so as to take appropriate strategies to meet targeted goals.
The Community Tool Box will again, help me to gain requisite skills and techniques in order to actively engage communities in making sense of the issues which affect their lives, setting goals for improvement and responding to problems and needs through empowerment and active participation in order to solve problems and improve lives.

i am a postgraduate student in community health and development at the university for development studies in northern ghana. i also work at the tamale west hospital as a general registered nurse. i however aspire to be an international community development worker after completion of my studies

the community tool box is a what i will refer to as a pocket companion. always readily available to suite any kind of work, be it academic exercise or career based challenges because it is not just knowledge based but skills as well.
this tool box will be my greatest asset towards achieving high contraceptive usage among community members to actualize a committed social change in reducing fertility levels at the grass roots. this is so necessary because, in ghana the poor and less educated are the most fertile with large family sizes leading too more constraints and burden worsening their already low socio economic status with its accompanying problems of poor health and lack of development.

My name is Sutaa Francis from Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana. I am a nurse practicing at West Gonja Hospital at the public health unit. I did my nursing training at Jirapa nurses training college, preceded to Catholic University to do Bsc. Public Health and Allied Sciences (health management) and now at the University For Development Studies reading MSc Community Health And Development.

I am a nurse whose work is more on health promotion. My main aim is to improve the health status of the people especially maternal and child health. I have heard of the Community Tool Box but had not used it because I did not have much knowledge of it. I have come to realized that I have failed in most of my interventions because I have no power and direction. Now that I have a broader idea of the Community Tool Box, I have been empowered and I am going to use it as my dictionary or a compass in my daily activities. I am assuring Prof. Stephen and the world that they are going to hear my success stories in the near future. Thank you very much.

Cecila tuo is my name, from a town called Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana.Iam a lady of 48 yrs old and a Dagao by tribe. Professionally i am a nurse,completed Jirapa nurses training college,went for midwifery training in Kumasi,proceeded to Korle-bu for basic public health nursing in the year 2000. Then went to the Catholic University for BSc in Public Health Management, and i am now reading Community Health and Development in UDS Tamale. Hobby :singing and dancing, Ambition: community Health and Development expert.

Actually i have not used much of the community tool box in my life, until when Mr kyerewura took us on a module promoting community health and development. Even with that i did not go deep to know what it contained. This probably could be that the green light was not shown as prof has done now. I only opened it when i wanted information on community need assessment, but now that the green light has been given, the tool will help me in my professional carrier especially as a midwifery tutor. God bless you prof.

I have been teaching for the past twenty years and it suffice to say that, half of my working life has been with adolescents. I currently pursue a course in Community Health and Development in the University for Development Studies in Ghana as a Master's student and my reason for running this course is to help change my small community for the better through youth/adolescent empowerment in reproductive health related issues, for tomorrows future depends on today's youth.

I was introduced to this website by my astute lecturers of the Community Health and Development department of the University for Development Studies in Ghana, and as a teacher in the basic/second cycle level and a student of Community Health and Development, my interest is in the health of adolescents in general and their reproductive health in particular.
The CTB has armed me with all the tools needed to strengthen me and make me become more resilient and self-reliant in dealing with not just only my interest but other related community challenges.

I am a master’s student in Community Health and Development in the University for Development studies Department of Allied Health Sciences; School of Medicine and Health Sciences. I currently work as a registered general nurse with the Tamale Teaching Hospital and licenses under the authority of the Ghana Nurse’s and Midwife’s Council. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and a diploma in general nursing from the University of Development Studies and the nurses training college Tamale respectively.

Yes I have used the community tool box. Even though am not very versatile in its use, my review of the page and content; I feel this will be a valuable tool box for the day to day activities I intend to carry out in communities. The community tool box seems to me like a one stop point where I can access all the requisite tools necessary for community interventions. The tools are well planned and very adaptable to the Ghanaian situation. I am very happy I found the community tool box kind cutesy Professor Steven. This will be a valuable tool to me as a student and out of school. Thank you.

I am Frank Adjei with BSc Public Health and MPhil in Community Health and Development.
I have the interest in the health of the people at the deprived community levels and how to assist and empower such people to develop and maintain their own health

To collaborate and bring out the community level participation to ensure mobilisation and community ownership

A final year Mphil student in community health and development (sandwich) at the University for Development Studies. I'm of a nutrition background from UDS and the Executive Director of the Optimum Nutrition and Health Consult, an organisation that advocates for healthy lifestyle choices and provides counseling for persons with specific health issues such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes.

The community Tool Box would go a long way to help me better my advocacy skills in championing the paradigm shift in the lifestyle choices and also learn to partner others for greater impact in the health and development in the community.

Am a student pursuing Community Health and Development at the University for Development Studies.My desire to work with rural communities and marginalized groups to improve their lives actually inspired me to pursue this program. A particular area of interest to me is adolescent health and development. My desire is to work with adolescents especially young girls to enhance their total development for the future.

Currently, am using the section on starting a youth/mentor ship group. I want to start a mentor ship program dubbed 'sister2sister' for senior high school girls in one or two selected schools in Tamale. The objective of this is to enhance the development of young girls in the areas of education, building self-esteem/confidence, career development guidance, sexual health and decision making and leadership skills.This section is giving me insight on how to start the program.

I am an ICT teacher by profession teaching at a senior high school in Tamale, Ghana. I am currently an Msc. student pursuing a course in Community Health and Development in the University for Development Studies.

For literature search
For course assignments
For report writing
For planing

I work with ADDRO (an NGO in Ghana) as a Behaviour Change Officer. I am also a student of the University for Development Studies; studying community health and development.

I will soon be carrying out a my thesis research in some communities in the Upper East Region. I do sincerely want to give something (feedback/information) back to the communities when the study is complete. The Community Tool Box has offered me the perfect guide on how to do so.
I have also found that the CTB has a superior guide to developing competitive grant proposals; I will surely make the CTB website known to my employing organisation and my co-workers.

I work with rural communities to help them build a sustainable economic system.

Just found your website - I will let you know.

I AM A NURSE BY PROFESSION,HAS WORKED FOR THE PAST 14YEARS.I AM HIGHLY MOTIVATED,EASILY ASSOCIATE WITH OTHERS AND VERY FAST TO LEARN NEW THINGS.I LISTEN A LOT AND TALK LESS.

THE COMMUNITY TOOL BOX WILL HELP ME TO TREAT THE HEALTH OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN A WHOLISTIC MANNER,KNOWING THAT,HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT ARE INSEPERABBLE.

I am a student at USF in Tampa studying Population Health

Providing statistical reserch

Student at Antioch University Midwest- Human Services/Grant writer

Hoping that the tool box will help me expand on ideas for new grant writing opportunities.

I am a project manager with steps toward the future. We focus on advocacy, educational and preventive services for teens.

Using the information to help take action.

I am the Survey Center Manager working with reports and statistics of our survey panels and research. Recently, I was asked about my grant writing abilities. I really had not done this before. So, I am writing to inquire if it is possible to send a HARD COPY of the Tool Box for Grant Writing. I have reviewed on line but do not have the time either at work or home to spend that much time online.

If you are able to send me a hard copy, I can work at it little by little to educate myself to become a grant writer and expand our business. Thank You.

I am a doctoral student and I am now researching on the topic I am interested in, and that is diabetes. Many friends and family members I know has this disease. I am researching to find out why this disease exists. And how I can help communities across the nation who has this disease. I know that being educated on the subject is one and what method can I use to do research?

Hello,
I am a patient's rights advocate working in support of Kansas SB9: The Cannabis Compassionate Care Act. I am a mother to 7. I have worked in marketing/promotions/advertising for over 16 years but my passions are history and cultural anthropology. I am going back to school in Fall for a Public Administration degree from KU. I am hosting a rally on May 17th to support the cannabis act, Bleeding Kansas 2014 (Facebook group), and I am so grateful to have found your wonderful site.

I have already downloaded all your power points, and shared all pertinent pages with my Bleeding Kansas Protest Facebook group. This information will be invaluable in the coming months. I will be using your petition checklist tomorrow as call and get all the needed information to make sure the petition we will starting, asking for the act to be put to a public vote, is completely solid. I am so grateful to have found you!! Thank you so much. We have so many patients whose lives are in the balance. We lost a precious 18 month old this year. We have many other patients still waiting. It is imperative we do all we can, and also that we do it in the correct, and most effective manner.