History
In December 2004 Dr Dery Tuopar, Staff Grade Oral Surgeon, visited Nandom Hospital to see a sick relative. Sadly, this person died and Dr Tuopar helped remove the body to prepare for the funeral. Hospital staff asked him to wash and return the sheet that the body was shrouded in as they have so few.
When Dr Tuopar returned to work at Northampton General Hospital, he was still
shocked at the desperate conditions he had witnessed at Nandom hospital and asked his colleague
Anne Hicks, Maxillofacial Clinical Nurse Specialist, where he could buy 50 sheets. Once he explained
why he needed them, Anne contacted the local newspaper. The Chronicle and Echo's reporter,
Lily Canter, took more information and printed a public appeal for sheets to be donated.
A total of 2,000 sheets were received and shipped to Ghana.
It was agreed that Anne would travel to Ghana with Dery in June 2005 to see first-hand the plight of the local community. Mr Andrew Camilleri, consultant maxillofacial surgeon, Ms Sue May, dental nurse and Mr Ambrose Ire, dentist also asked to make the trip to see what help could be offered. When the ‘team’ returned, a 5 year action plan was formulated and a list of priorities drawn up.
In September 2006 FREED (UK) was born as a registered UK charity and the hard work began.