A Place of Love and Compassion.....

Resident Houses

Shekhinah Clinic is a special place that we had the privilege of visiting while here in Ghana. We only spent a couple of days here, but we can speak for everyone and say that we have never encountered a healthcare facility that felt like such pure love before. 

Dr. David and Mariama

This clinic is a volunteer run initiative started in 1991 founded by the late Dr. David Abdulai. It is now run by his wife, Mariama who has continued his passion to serve the poor and mentally ill.    

One of their approaches to serve their community is the hot food programme. Every day the Shekhinah Clinic serves about 190 people including the mentally ill around the streets of Tamale, the volunteers at the clinic, underfed prisoners at the jail and the residents that call this clinic home. We got to assist with preparing the food and rode along with the meals on wheels delivery service.

Sophia-Grace and Katrina making lunch

 

Katrina and Kyla delivering lunch

One of the things that was the most impressive was how well they knew their community. They have created such a trusted name that they are often contacted by community members with names of new people that are in need of help. These services are respected by others as the food is dropped off in various locations set out for specific people and will be untouched and left for only them.

Mariama under the mango tree

The clinic itself is set around a mango tree and has a quiet and calming atmosphere. There is a walk-in clinic and patients are seen on a first come first serve basis and all services are free. We had the opportunity to help with the outpatient clinic during our time here. They skillfully and swiftly assess the patients and determine their needs. 

They have a pharmacy on their compound that provides medications free of charge, but their medication stocks rely solely on donations. The clinic also has a small operating room that they run once a week where they do smaller surgeries such as hernia repairs. A local physician who works at the Tamale Teaching Hospital volunteers his time once a week. 

Every year, a Canadian doctor volunteers for 1-2 months and operates 5 days a week.  During the days the operation theatre is open they see around fifteen patients. The surgical patients stay on the compound during their recovery.  The local villages were all invited to build a hut for their community members to heal at Shekhina following surgery.  These are all neatly laid out at the edge of the clinic grounds.  The villagers keep the huts clean and are able to stay with their community members post-operatively until they are ready to return home.  

Those who were previously living on the street and suffering from mental illness now live here at the clinic at their own will. They can come and go as they please and are always met with unconditional love. The clinic appears to run like a tight knit family.

One of the residents helping make lunch

The clinic is not associated with Ghana Health Services and receives no government funding. Everything comes solely from donations which means services provided can be unpredictable. But somehow, they always find a way to make it work Dr. Abdulai and Mariama explain that this is all possible due to “Divine Providence”. It’s really something special to witness and be a part of.

During this experience we all found ourselves wondering how a clinic like this could run in Canada. The beautiful work and care that the volunteers at the clinic provide is admirable and should be viewed as the gold standard of care for those struggling with mental illness.  We have much to learn from this little free clinic in Northern Ghana.  

 If you are interested in learning more about the Shekhina clinic, check out this video:

Under the Mango Tree 

 Written by Kyla & Mika