The Africa Development Foundation (ADF) and the Helping Africa Foundation (HAF) co-hosted a fundraising gala in New York to mobilize international support for the Lordina Foundation’s maternity projects across Ghana.
The event drew philanthropists, diplomats, healthcare advocates, and members of the Ghanaian diaspora, all united by a common goal: to improve maternal and infant healthcare outcomes in Ghana.
A highlight of the evening was a heartfelt address by First Lady Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, who underscored both the urgency of Ghana’s maternal health challenges and the transformative work of her foundation.
“Our greatest reward is not measured by figures, but by the smiles we bring to the faces we help and the change in the conditions of the groups we assist,” she said. “This is why the Lordina Foundation is motivated by a single mission: to restore hope and empower lives, one family, one community at a time.”
Drawing from her personal experience as a mother, Mrs Mahama described how her foundation has worked to bridge gaps in healthcare.
She highlighted alarming statistics: over 3,000 babies die in Ghana every month before their first birthday, with an infant mortality rate of 52 per 1,000 live births and a maternal mortality rate of 103 per 100,000 live births.
“No mother, anywhere, should face childbirth gripped by such fear for her life or her baby. It is an injustice we cannot, and we must not accept,” she stressed.
Mrs Mahama recounted how her maternity project initiative began before her husband, President John Dramani Mahama, assumed office, crediting his early support for enabling the first model 45-bed maternity and children’s ward at the Bole District Hospital in the Savannah Region.
Since then, the Foundation has expanded its reach, constructing three state-of-the-art maternity and children’s wards in Bole, Nkoranza, and Bodom, and undertaking major renovations at facilities such as the Hohoe Adabraka Health Centre.
These facilities, she noted, are now equipped with delivery theatres, NICUs, and modern medical equipment donated nationwide.
The gala underscored how international partnerships can amplify local initiatives. With backing from ADF, HAF, and global donors, the Lordina Foundation aims to scale up its efforts, ensuring that mothers and babies across Ghana have access to safe, dignified, and quality healthcare.
Source: myxyzonline.com/Wisdom Hedezome
