(previous) World Health Organization. This study was IRB approved by the University of California, Los Angeles and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and led to an intervention tailored specifically to the community and developed with the community. The distribution phase of the intervention was completed in early 2008.

Trained Community Health Workers are involved in every aspect: planning, distribution, promotion and community support. During distribution, CHWs educate household members about malaria prevention and bed net use with a picture-based flipchart. They then hang free insecticide treated bed nets over all sleeping areas. Their role after distribution is to retreat nets when necessary, mend nets and provide support and leadership to the community. They actively guide further research and implementation at each step. Follow-up data is currently being analyzed and will guide the expansion of malaria prevention in Bibiani District. (Read more on Malaria)

Intestinal Worm Infection / Common intestinal worms threaten the nutrition, growth and development of children. Children are likely to be infected from the time they stop breastfeeding and to be continually infected and re-infected throughout their lives. Chronic hookworm infection has been shown to impair physical and intellectual development, reduce school performance and attendance, and limit future productivity and income potential. Current public programs are not able to provide treatment to all of the children who need it. GHEI’s program is multifaceted and includes:

• medication to treat infection
  
• hygiene education
  
• provision of shoes
  (worms can be transmitted through the contact of bare skin to soil)
  
• provision of soap (2009)

Condom sales / In response to high rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Humjibre, and a lack of accessible and affordable condoms, GHEI began a youth-friendly condom sales service. Youth peer educators are trained each year in providing confidential and informed advice about condom use, including condom demonstrations. They also sell condoms at a heavily discounted price, subsidized by GHEI. GHEI does not make a profit from these sales – any profit is put aside for the youth peer educator condom seller for when they leave secondary school. GHEI plans to extend the sales to nearby villages, which also have little to no access to condoms.