From Shack to Sanctuary: Rotary builds state-of-the-art healthcare facility in Berekuso

What once looked like a roadside shop in the Eastern Region is now a healthcare beacon.

Four years ago, Nana Okyere, President of the Rotary Club of Ring Road Central, stopped in Berekuso for a drink. She thought she found a kiosk but discovered it was the community’s only health facility.

“She thought it was a corner shop,” said Rotary President Albert Bahum-Wilson. “When she got inside, they told her it was a clinic.”

That dusty wooden structure is now gone.

With no government support and an old clinic in poor condition, help was needed. The Rotary Club of Ring Road Central and its partners stepped in. Today, Berekuso has a $200,000 ultra-modern health center built to serve generations.

“This will deliver better healthcare to Berekuso and its surroundings,” Bahum-Wilson noted.

Emely Amponsah, the Municipal Director of Health Services at that time, remembers how bad things were. “The old facility was very depleting. There were no rooms and the space was small,” she said.

Rotary International President-Elect Mario Cesar Martins de Camargo visited the new facility during his Ghana tour. He was moved by the transformation.

“People will see your work here and help you develop better services,” he said. “Take advantage of this opportunity.”

For Rotary, this project means more than just infrastructure; it’s about impact. District Governor Florence Maame Hagan called it a model project.

“Beyond bricks and mortar, this embodies Rotary's commitment to sustainability,” she said. “We are building an asset for future generations.”

The Chief of Berekuso, Nana Oteng Kuranchie II, pledged to rally community support for maintaining the clinic long-term.

The work isn’t finished yet. Albert Bahum-Wilson says they plan to equip the center with state-of-the-art tools for maternal and child health.

“We are discussing with sponsors who want to assist,” he emphasized. “We’re not packing our tools and leaving.”

From a dusty shack to a shining symbol of service, Berekuso’s new clinic shows what "Service Above Self" truly means.