AYD and the Asankare Community Clinic Project
For years, the dream of a health clinic in Asankare felt just out of reach. People spoke of it often, at meetings, family gatherings, even at funerals where the lack of immediate care was painfully obvious, but it never went beyond talk. Pregnant women, children, and the elderly had to endure long journeys just to see a nurse or doctor.
On 3 October 2021, during an Asankare Youth for Development (AYD) meeting, members discussed the challenges facing Asankare’s health facilities. It was then that the idea of taking action on the clinic emerged from AYD, sparking consultations with community members and local authorities. This was the moment when talk began to turn into planning.
AYD made a decision. This dream would not be left to gather dust. Health was not a luxury. It was life itself.
The first step was simple. AYD encouraged everyone to treat the clinic not as a distant idea but as a project the community could begin. Traditional leaders, opinion leaders, pastors, and imams were called in, reminding everyone that waiting for outside help would only prolong the problem.
Then something remarkable happened. Asankare Youth for Development (AYD) secured a site for the clinic project on 9th October 2021. While the vision began with AYD, the clinic belongs to the people of Asankare. Once the land was set aside, the dream had soil beneath it. It became harder to dismiss.
From that point, AYD and the community began taking practical steps to bring the project to life. Momentum followed. People began to believe again. Chiefs gave their blessing, the churches and mosques lent their voice, and the diaspora added their strength.
Today, the building has reached the filling stage, with everyone in Asankare involved in the work. The foundation is firm, the blocks are standing, and the trenches are dug. Sand is being levelled and compacted. What was once only talk now has walls you can touch.
AYD has been present throughout this journey, in the conversations, in the planning, and in the work on the ground. The clinic has become one of the clearest signs of what happens when young people take initiative and the community walks with them.
Before AYD helped spark the initiative, the clinic was only a wish. Today, it is a structure standing in Asankare. And tomorrow, it will be a place of healing for the entire community
AYD Through the Years series continues in next part