The Rohde Foundation

The Jesse Rohde Foundation Selected as “Righter”

admin — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:21:46 +0000

Featured Righter: Jesse Rohde

When Jesse’s not in the field, he’s in the hospital. Pictured here in his baby blues.

PROFESSIONAL TITLE: Jesse Rohde, Founder/President/CEO, The Rohde Foundation

PEOPLE CAN USUALLY FIND ME….at the Hospital (Maimonides Medical Center) in Brooklyn, New York working as a Resident in Anesthesiology. On the rare chance that I am not at work, I can be found at home working through the many challenges of creating a model for health care accessibility in rural Africa – a model which aims to train local students and leaders to become health care providers for their own communities. The model works like this: Provide scholarships for local students to become health care providers. While they are being trained within their own country The Rohde Foundation converts dilapidated cocoa warehouses into functioning clinics. Upon graduation, these new health care professionals take charge of health care provision within their own communities. To create a sustainable model, The Rohde Foundation backs the provision of health care with local for-profit businesses (11 acre cocoa farm, energy production – converting corn cobs and corn husks into charcoal saving valuable old growth forests) designed to provide local jobs and ignite development in the rural community; 100% coverage of all sleeping spaces with insecticide-treated mosquito nets; Mothers Providing Care (in which local mothers are trained to provide prenatal and postnatal care to their neighbors); The Rohde Foundation’s Insurance Trust in which all residents are provided with health insurance to facilitate the promise of no patient left without care; and an innovative solution for island health care in which local health providers run mobile clinics from canoes. At every turn, local projects and local leaders are placed in positions of power in an effort to provide quality and comprehensive health care to rural Africa.

I’M BEST KNOWN FOR….being the President and CEO of The Rohde Foundation; for commiting my life to impacting others throughout rural Africa; for being part of a constant search for new and innovative ways to care for those who have no voice. Health care as the root of rural African development – that is what I am known for.

IF ONLY YOU COULD HAVE SEEN ME WHEN….I was riding 130 miles through the Sahara Desert with Tuareg nomads, enjoying the night sky, finding my way back to Agadez, Niger.

MOST INTIMIDATING MEETING I’VE EVER HAD WAS….After a long drive from Capetown, South Africa to Qunu, South Africa (Nelson Mandela’s home village) – I found myself at the gate of Presidents Mandela’s home asking the guards if I could speak with him (I was 19 and fearless). When his motorcade appeared from behind the house, I was confronted by the aggression of the guards followed by the intimidating invitation of President Mandela as he motioned for me to join him standing aside from his car. For 20 minutes, President Mandela asked and answered questions about what I hoped to do with my life; why I was in Qunu; what my agenda might be. Paralyzed by the good fortune of this meeting, and overwhelmed by the intimidation of speaking with President Mandela while standing in the middle of his home village (population 73) I was taken by the combination of being intimidated and completely at ease. As I drove away, I felt like I had lived through a dream – a lifetime goal of meeting Nelson Mandela had become reality – of all places, in his home village surrounded by livestock.

I WAS MOST PROUD WHEN….The first patients were seen at The Rohde Foundation’s Oworobong Clinic in rural Ghana. So much time, effort, dreaming, designing, meeting with local and regional chiefs, planning with local Foundation leaders – so much had gone into the conversion of the old cocoa warehouse into a functioning, thriving clinic that when 400 people lined up to be seen on day #1 we knew that we had done well; that the surrounding population of almost 50,000 villagers now had hope for a better future for them and their children – health care access was a reality for thousands who previously had answer to the myriad of sicknesses which strike rural Africa every year.

I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO….be a part of peoples lives and affect as many people, in a positive way, as possible. Medicine was the clearest way for me to do that. International health care and public health – policy making – has been the most effective way of reaching people. Going door to door in rural villages – I find this to be the most rewarding form of health care and health care policy making. When you discuss life and health with people in the comfort of their own home, the answers are not diluted. Over many years, people become comfortable with your presence, and your ability to care for them becomes easier. The access to their lives, what I have always wanted, becomes a reality. The real reward is what follows – people trusting you with their lives and the lives of their children – and knowing that you have the skills to repay that trust. That is the reason why my life is committed to this work. It is the most gratifying experience of my life.

I’M MOST OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE WHEN….I have to dissolve aggression in a remote region of Africa without being able to speak the language. All of the normal avenues that one might turn to in order to explain themselves are lost in translation. It is a helpless feeling to be far away from electricity, communication, food, water, and to have to find your way out.

IF I COULD DO ONE THING DIFFERENTLY I WOULD HAVE….listened more, to the people in the rural village, to family, to mentors – at every level I have learned so much more, and avoided so many pitfalls when I listen to those who know more than I do. The challenge is that when you believe in your ideas so full-heartedly it is hard to see past the clarity that exists in your mind. When I have an idea – a proposal that will help thousands of people – it is very difficult to move away from something that you believe in so fervently. But, my experience has shown me that when I listen to the ideas of those who have come before me – the wise mentor – and then mix them with my own resolutions, the end result is not only powerful, but avoids many of the goal-driven errors created by someone thinking alone.

IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD….plan your next trip to Oworobong, Ghana. The village of Oworobong, in rural Ghana is a place where dreams are made and solutions to a plethora of problems are worked through and turned into reality. It is the kind of place that changes peoples lives – whether you are 15 or 85. I invite you to join The Rohde Foundation and come with us on this adventure.

I’M TERRIFIED OF….failure – of believing in something so much and then not seeing it come to fruition. I want to recognize problems, attempt to solve them, develop a solution, and then put that solution into action. I want to see results. Adapting to a change of plan I am comfortable with. But, truly believing that a worked through solution will have impact and then finding that the concept has failed is terrifying.

I HOPE TO CHANGE….the outcome for millions of people. I hope that people will say, “Because of The Rohde Foundation my life was made better.”

http://the-righters.com/2012/04/18/featured-righter-jesse-rohde/

Los Olivos, California Rotary Interview 2010 with Dr. Jesse Rohde

admin — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:15:42 +0000

Great interview! Flashback to 2010.

http://www.losolivosrotary.org/news/newsletter020110.pdf

Santa Ynez Valley Journal Article

admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:59:22 +0000

For Make Cents, the goal is no more babies born by flashlight

By SaraLloyd Truax, Staff Writer

It is somewhat ironic that he calls to postpone his interview so he can drive himself to the clinic to get a yellow fever shot.

In a few weeks time, Caio Motta will be traveling to rural Ghana with two other Santa Ynez Valley Union High School students.

Click for slideshow

Merrill Weber and Beth McGowan will join him in an effort to bring assistance to a small medical clinic built by local social entrepreneur Jesse Rohde, whose mother was a long-time art teacher at Santa Ynez.

Rohde is a medical doctor and the force behind the Rohde Foundation, which is sponsoring the trip.

“All three of these students are representative of the kind of fantastic kids we have here at our school,” says Tory Babcock, who has had the three in her AP English classes.

In 2009, in Kwahu – the eastern region of Ghana – the Rohde Foundation opened the Oworobong Clinic with 400 patients lining up to be seen. Ultimately, the aim is to provide for the upward of 50,000 who live outside the areas where care is available now. Local students are encouraged to help through the Make Cents campaign.

Caio joined Make Cents his freshman year at the high school where the program functions as a club. Caio is also member of the Rotary-sponsored Interact Club which will host a fundraiser for the clinic in March.

Merrill and Beth joined at the end of their sophomore year when an on-campus event drew their attention to the cause. “You’ve probably seen the boxes around town,” says Caio. Club members involve local business owners and employees in the campaign by having them ask customers to “leave their change” on the 1st and 15th of each month. The students collect the funds and forward to the foundation.

Then last September, Beth’s family hosted a breakfast meeting for local Make Cents officers that Rohde attended. “That was amazing,” says Merrill. Both girls were moved by the stories and the photos. Their parents, having met Rohde, were on board with their going to lend a helping hand. The group travels the first week in March.

The girls are not exactly sure what their roles will be – something along the lines of registering patients, weighing babies or whatever they are called upon to do, they say enthusiastically.

But to Caio, his mission is clear – to bring solar electricity to the clinic. The nearest location with standard electricity is two hours away by car. At the moment, things at the clinic that need power are run by battery. “There is a possibility that we can install an outlet to charge 12-volt batteries,” he says excitedly.

“Caio is a character. He’s very bright, very inquisitive,” says Babcock. “He gets this look on his face and then he just starts talking.”

The system will use solar panels to collect the sun’s energy, storing it in batteries, Caio says passionately. While there won’t be sufficient power to run normal appliances, it will run bright LED lights and other small D.C.-powered items, says the teen who expects to major in engineering in college.

Working with Gary Gordon of Santa Ynez Valley Solar, who will be joining the three on the trip, Caio is learning how to build the solar-powered lighting system at Gordon’s Windhaven Glider Rides office.

“We are designing the system to be set up easily and essentially be bulletproof,” says Caio. He is looking forward not only to building it again on-site in Oworobong, but “I hope to be able to teach someone the basics,” – just in case, he says with a casual smile.

It will take the entire week they are in Ghana to wire all 11 rooms of the clinic including the main ward which also serves as the local hospital, says Gordon. No more will babies be born by flashlight or sutures stitched by kerosene lamp. Rohde has dedicated his life to providing health care services to the world’s poor – raising the standard of health care in rural Africa through prevention, education, clinic construction, access to health care and rural African job creation. The three local teens are thrilled to be a part of all that, they say.

Having the opportunity to learn how to build a solar system while also helping the clinic is especially thrilling, says Caio, who hopes to attend Yale University in the fall.

“Personally for me, I love that he is interested in solar energy,” says his mother, Wendy Motta. Caio has been interested in science since he was a preschooler. “He was always asking questions, but he is the one with the answers these days.”

The foundation will purchase virtually all of the materials once they get to Africa, both to save on shipping costs and to help stimulate the local economy. “Luckily, the heavy stuff is already there in the capital of Ghana,” says Gordon. They will carry the LED bulbs with them though. The bulbs are fairly hearty and safe for travel.

A single bulb uses only 5 watts of energy and is 10 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs, says Gordon as he guides Caio, who is focused on splitting wires. Caio looks up only momentarily from his task to smile.

The 17-year-old may be venturing far from home, but his mom isn’t worried about the high school senior. He is a seasoned traveler, she says. The suitcases the three will bring will only contain items to be donated to the village. Everything for their personal use they will carry in their backpacks.

Caio smiles, shrugs. It’s no problem. The girls don’t seem to mind, either.

Looking at the YouTube video clips from years past, Wendy Motta finds herself in awe. “It is amazing what they have accomplished.” She can’t wait to see the photos Caio – a photography buff – will bring back.

“It’s pretty amazing this foundation came out of our little Valley,” says the proud mother. It is just as amazing that our teens pitch in to help keep it growing.

For more information, visit jesserohdefoundation.org.

struax@syvjournal.com

Make Cents Campaign Heads to West Africa

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:46:18 +0000

Students from the Santa Ynez Chapter of The Make Cents Movement will head to Oworobong, Ghana at the end of March, 2012. Following consistent fundraising and a commitment to the work of The Rohde Foundation – access to health care in rural Ghana – Caio Motta, Beth McGowan, and Merrill Weber, along with Gary Gordon from Santa Ynez Valley Solar will make their first trip to rural Africa to install solar technology and to work in the Oworobong Clinic.

Health Insurance – 100% Coverage

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:30:50 +0000

By the end of 2012, The Rohde Foundation in collaboration with the Oworobong Clinic and the Ghanaian Government will aim to achieve 100% health insurance coverage for all people living in and around Oworobong. Updates throughout the year will be posted on the website.

Water Pump Installed at Oworobong Clinic Site

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:23:12 +0000

At the Oworobong Clinic site, Charles Asiedu Boafo and The Rohde Foundation Team have installed a new water pump. The new pump stands as a landmark both for potable water access immediately, and as a center point for future construction and development of the Oworobong Clinic site.

Oworobong Clinic Solar Installation

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:09:23 +0000

No longer will women in rural Oworobong, Ghana have to deliver their babies in the dark. Gary Gordon of Santa Ynez Valley Solar, along with students from The Rohde Foundation’s Make Cents Campaign will work alongside local villagers to install solar panels on the roof of the Oworobong Clinic. During the last week in March, 2012 the team of engineers and volunteers will put in place Phase I of a Foundation project that looks to provide power to the Oworobong Clinic, the Corn Cobs to Charcoal Project, and future development. The goal remains the same: provide access to health care to the local villagers of Oworobong and the surrounding area.

Youngson Aponati – Leader/Scholar/Nurse/Advocate – The Future of The Rohde Foundation

admin — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:00:08 +0000

Youngson Aponati is a remarkable young man. At age 26, from the small island village

of Bumpata, he has managed to find his way to a leadership position in The Rohde

Foundation. A recent graduate from Nahr Bita Nursing School (having been a Rohde

Foundation Scholar) Youngson takes over as one of the Co-Director’s of the

Oworobong Clinic in rural Ghana, West Africa. With a commitment to the resource

poor, and an unbending push towards making the lives of those around his better,

Youngson has become a leader in the creation of a working Rohde Foundation model.

Read more about Youngson Aponati at www.jesserohdefoundation.org.

Kofi Asiedu Boafo, National Director, The Rohde Foundation – Ghana, Headed to East Africa

admin — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:51:52 +0000

Kofi Asiedu Boafo, National Director, The Rohde Foundation – Ghana will be traveling

to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda during the months of March and April to

meet with The Rohde Foundation’s Senior Leadership. Patrick Patrique, National

Director, The Rohde Foundation – Uganda, and Mathias Abuya, National Director,

The Rohde Foundation – Tanzania will join Kofi to discuss the effectiveness of the

Foundation model for providing accessible health care to those living in rural Africa.

Mr. Asiedu said, “This is my first time out of Ghana. My life has been dedicated to the

people living in the rural villages of Ghana. It is time to share The Rohde Foundation

model with other African countries. Our goal from the beginning has been to educate

and create a local healthcare work force capable of caring for the needs of the rural

community. It is time for us to widen our reach. It begins with conversation.” Kofi

will be joined by Foundation Founder/President/CEO, Dr. Jesse Rohde.

Founder/President/CEO – Jesse Rohde – Honored as Keynote Speaker at Global Youth Forum in Atlanta, Georgia

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:37:41 +0000

November 11, the Global Youth Forum held in Atlanta, Georgia welcomed Founder/

President/CEO of The Rohde Foundation, Jesse Rohde to Atlanta to speak as the keynote

speaker for the weekend gathering. Rohde’s presentation on conviction, and the

impact one can have on people’s lives can be seen on YouTube.