By Emmanuel Nyatsikor
Takla (V/R), June 26 GNA – GOSANET Foundation in collaboration with Mr Edem Kofi Kpotosu, Member of Parliament for Ho Central Constituency have provided giant screens for football enthusiasts in some communities in the Ho Central Constituency.
This is to enable them to watch live all Ghana Black Stars World Cup matches ongoing in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Some of the communities are Nyive, Takla and Ziavi.
Beyond the excitement of football, the initiative also served as an important platform for community health promotion.
Before the commencement of each match, Health Promotion Officers and Facilitators from GOSANET Foundation and the Ghana Health Service conducted health education sessions on high blood pressure (hypertension).
Community members were educated on the causes and risk factors of the disease, the importance of regular blood pressure screening, healthy eating habits and regular physical activity.
They were also educated on stress management and the need for early diagnosis and treatment to prevent complications such as stroke, heart diseases and kidney failure.
Mr Samuel Yao Atidzah, Executive Director of GOSANET Foundation disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency at one of such ceremonies at Takla.
He stated that the initiative provided an effective opportunity to reach large audiences with life-saving health information.
He encouraged the people to adopt healthy lifestyles and make routine health screening a priority.
Mr Atidzah noted that integrating health education into community sporting events was an innovative approach to promoting preventive healthcare while fostering unity and national pride.
“The initiative demonstrated that football can be more than entertainment. It is a powerful platform for educating communities, encouraging healthy living and bringing people together for national development,” he said.
He told the Ghana News Agency that the initiative formed part of the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to promoting preventive healthcare through community engagement, health education, social behavioral change communication, and strategic partnership with government institutions and development partners.
The Executive Director commended Mr Kpotosu for the collaboration and called on individuals and other stakeholders to support the initiative.
Residents expressed appreciation to the organisers “for bringing the world cup experience to their doorsteps while simultaneously increasing awareness on hypertension and other non-communicable diseases.”
GOSANET Foundation is a Ghanaian non-profit, Non-Governmental Organization committed to improving the health and well-being of communities through health promotion, disease prevention, community mobilization, advocacy and sustainable development programmes across the Volta region and beyond.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/George-Ramsey Benamba