Motherhood is a magical experience, no matter where in the world you live. But in Ghana, like in many developing countries, motherhood carries significant challenges. Child mortality rates in the west African country are more than 10 times the rate in Canada, and children die mainly from avoidable causes like neonatal infections, early labour, malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea. About half of these deaths occur within health facilities where the children could be saved if they received good quality care.

On May 30, SickKids nurses will begin training nurses in Ghana to become paediatric specialists. Nursing is the backbone of the health system in Ghana, so better training means children will get better care.

SickKids hopes to train up to 140 nurses over the next three years – nurses who will then apply what they have learned to improve the health of children in their own communities. The program is a partnership with the University of Ghana and its School of Nursing, Ghana’s Ministry of Health, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana.

The training program, part of the SickKids Global Child Health Program, is being funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and by donations to SickKids Foundation. SickKids hopes to expand the program into Tanzania and Ethiopia in the coming years. It’s all part of the Hospital’s vision to extend our expertise internationally to improve the lives of children around the world.

Watch this space for more stories about the Global Child Health Program in Ghana as it gets underway.