HealthKeeper Tormeti introducing some products to clients.
A former worker of the Ghana Railways Authority, Angelina Tormeti is now a HealthKeeper who supports her family by selling family planning and other health products.
Tormeti has worked as a HealthKeeper for three years. According to her, her family’s survival depends on her work, and she is proud of how helpful it has been to her.
Although Tormeti faces challenges as a HealthKeeper, she has always been able to overcome them. “Sometimes I see young men gather and I try to engage them by introducing some of the contraceptives like condoms. Some of them begin to make fun of me, [but] I usually laugh over it and try to educate them more. At the end of the day we become friends and some of these clients even come to my house to buy the products.”
She stated, “Sometimes, people try to challenge my ideas on family planning, but I just take my time to educate them. I draw their attention to the fact that the economic hardship nowadays is not conducive to having a lot of children.”
She maintains the trust and respect of her clients by always putting herself in their shoes when they come to her for help. Tormeti states that she would never disclose any of her client’s information to a third party. “If I meet a client [who raises a] confidential issue, I invite her to my house [to] have a chat. I always take my time to explain things to them and handle their issues, and I think this is the main reason why they also [give] me respect and trust.”
Tormeti noted that she hopes to continue improving her personal relationship skills to enable her to maintain good relationships with her clients.
With additional funding provided by a grant awarded under Advancing Partners & Communities (APC), (HealthKeepers Network) HKN plans to expand their community-based family planning (CBFP) project. The CBFP project aims to reduce the gap between the demand and the supply of HIV prevention and family planning (FP) products. The program provides access to affordable contraception, including condoms and oral contraceptives, as well as other products and services.
