The Orthopedic Training Centre in Nsawam is one of our oldest relationships in Ghana. The center where students are trained to make orthopedic aids was founded in 1961 by a Dutch priest. It has its own workshop and meets a huge need. It is still the only one of its kind in the English speaking part of West Africa.
We learned how important this center is for disabled people in Ghana during the annual visit when we interviewed four physically disabled people in Techiman. The prosthetics of these people were found to have been made in Nsawam. They also stayed in the center for a while to learn how to walk with the help of prostheses. In 2013, no less than 7,407 people of all ages and from all walks of life were helped with an orthopedic device!
The Orthopedic Training Centre is under the responsibility of the Diocese of Koforidua and works closely with the Kwame Nkrumah Technical University (KNUST) and the Ministry of Health. The students come from all over the country. The well-trained technicians supplied by the center can start their own workshop to make shoes, leg prostheses, braces and crutches or get work in hospitals or rehabilitation centers in Ghana and neighboring countries.
An existing building of 16 by 10 meters that was in a deplorable state has been renovated into a training workshop. The roof has been replaced, there is a ceiling and burglar-proof windows have been installed. The window frames and electrical wiring have also been renewed. The project was funded for €9,797 by Mill Hill College’s Third World Flea Market and Wilde Ganzen. The remaining €3,478 was contributed by local authorities.
