Ghana Health Sector: Harriet Ngusra of Ngusra Group Discusses HIV and Autism Issues in Ghana

Interview with Harriet Ngusra, Chairman of Ngusra Group

What is your policy on CSR activities, autism specifically?

Autism is a developmental disorder which is characterized by difficulty with interaction and communication. What we have realized is that a lot of stigma has been placed on children who are autistic. So, we reach out to parents to educate them on autism. We teach them how to care for their children and how to interact with them. Some have even kept their children in rooms because of the stigma. There are specially made schools for autistic children where we send the children, pay their fees, and we interact with the teachers. We give them more education on how to handle these children because they do not behave the way other children do. They need special care.

Is there a personal reason why you have chosen this autism issue?

We are doing everything possible to reach less privileged people. That is what we have set as our target. We are calling on everyone to come onboard and help in any way that they can.

It is a very serious problem in Ghana. I once stayed with a child who was autistic and if you could have seen the stigma that is being placed on that child, it is awful. People prevent their children from playing with them and do not let them get close. Especially if a woman is pregnant, they will stop the autistic child from coming close with the fear that the pregnant woman will also deliver an autistic child. These children feel like they are not part of society. They feel rejected and neglected. There is a lack of information and we are trying to educate the general public that autism is not infectious. There is a lot of training and education that needs to be done.

You are also active in HIV projects.

A lot of children are born with HIV, through no fault of theirs, but because of their parents. Stigma is being placed on those children, as well. So, we reach out to those innocents and babies. Because of their HIV, their parents cannot breastfeed them so we provide formula and other medications.

How do you approach these children?

There is a place where they are kept that we go to and introduce services to them. It is a specially made place they are taken to when they are delivered together with their parents.

Is there a treatment for the parents?

Treatments are given to the parents and we take care of them, too. Some of them are not even registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme. We help to register the parents so they can also take advantage of the services the government provides through the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Has the HIV problem been addressed by the government in Ghana?

It has been taken into consideration, but for some time now, it has been swept under the carpet. Education is not ongoing so people think HIV is normal, but it is really there and it is killing children and adults. More education must be done which we have taken upon ourselves to do. The government also needs to come onboard.

Is it the role of a private company like yours to be in that sector? Do you have a different role from the government?

We have taken it upon ourselves to reach out to those people and give them whatever help we can because the government cannot do it all alone.

What are the biggest challenges that you are facing?

We face a lot of challenges. There are many children with autism and many children and adults living with HIV. We have not been able to reach out to all of them, which worries us. We wish we could reach out to all of them, but we are limited.

Are these the only fields in which you do CSR?

These are our two main CSR areas, but we also reach out to communities with poor water situations. Some of these communities share water with animals and drink the same water they defecate in and wash in. We help them by giving them boreholes so the water comes from deep in the earth.

In what regions do you provide this service?

We provide these services in remote villages in the north, such as Tatale.

What would you like to achieve in the future in terms of helping the people, children and families, and Ghana to develop itself?

We want education to get down to the people because when the people are educated there are a lot of things that they will not do. With the water, for example, because they are not educated, they do not know the danger of drinking the same water that animals have defecated in. They see this as normal and it is something they have done for so many years that they do not see anything wrong with it. But they can end up getting cholera and a whole host of other diseases. Once they are educated this can be solved.

Do you have a final message?

We are doing everything possible to reach less privileged people. That is what we have set as our target. We are calling on everyone to come onboard and help in any way that they can.

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