Barely two months back, India, which maintains friendly relationships with Ghana, went through an unprecedented crisis. At the peak of India’s battle with the devastating second wave of the novel Coronavirus, or what we’ve come to know as Covid-19, several concerned Ghanaians, under the leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo, banded together to figure out ways to help. 

A lot of people came forward to help, and in no time at all, a team of qualified medical professionals, and a batch of life-saving oxygen concentrators and protection gear for ensuring safety started pooling in. Another batch of volunteers came forward to coordinate the distribution of the aid to charitable hospitals across the expanse of India. This was done to ensure that the aid was reaching those truly in need and not squandered. 

Hospitals and charities were found in even the remote areas of the country for help to reach and soon, the medical staff and the covid gear were on a flight to India. 

One might think, Ghana is a geographically small country, and one that is still taking steps towards technological development. India on the other hand is a much larger landscape and at a different level of technological advancement. What would Ghana’s aid to India achieve? 

The answer lies not in numbers, but in the sentiment of the act. At a time when masses of a country’s population are struggling against an invisible disease that keeps mutating, every life saved is a victory in itself. Ghana’s collective effort to help a friend in whatever capacity possible for us, is symbolic of courage and not accepting defeat at the hands of circumstance. For us at IPMC, being a part of the relief effort meant a deepening of the ties between the two countries. 

Earlier this year, at the start of the vaccination program, India generously helped Ghana with a gift of vaccines against Covid, Ghana’s aid of life saving equipment and medical personnel is not returning a favour but a testament to the fact that the only way to beat the pandemic is together. We must find ways to collaborate, to help, and to share resources.

We are all a part of the same world and our lives are connected with those of others in inexplicable ways. Kindness, empathy for fellow human beings, and an open heart not only help us overcome a difficult time, but also build bridges and strengthen relationships that lead to the path of progress for everyone.