Following the official launch of the Angel Care Foundation at the Pelican Hotel in Cantonments, Accra, on Thursday, June 25, the foundation's team carried out a presentation of blankets and a cash donation to the Police Hospital Paediatric Ward in Cantonments.

The Angel Care team was welcomed to the facility by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Bright Obeng Sarpong.

The donations of receiving blankets and financial support were formally received on behalf of the hospital by Chief Superintendent Dr Ewurekua Forson.

The foundation's distribution model ensures that partner hospitals are provided with a continuous stock of blankets.

Under this initiative, every newborn child at the hospital is eligible to receive a blanket at the moment of birth, which the mother takes home alongside postnatal guidance materials.

Originally scheduled as a brief presentation, the visit was extended to over an hour. The foundation’s founder, Dr Olivia Tchanque, prompted the extension after being visibly moved by meeting the mothers and observing the newborn babies currently admitted to the ward.

The scene perhaps took her back to a hospital in Cameroon and another in the United States, years apart.

The Inspiration Behind Angel Care

Dr Tchanque, who is originally from Cameroon and currently resides in the United States, revealed in a media interaction that the initiative was born out of a deeply moving childhood experience. As a teenager in Cameroon, she witnessed her mother give birth at a local hospital. Following the delivery, nurses informed her that the baby could not be returned to her mother because the family had no clothes or blankets to cover the newborn.

Driven to tears, Dr Tchanque had to beg a stranger in the ward for spare clothing to wrap her new sibling.

Years later, in 2009, Dr Tchanque gave birth to her own child in the United States. Upon delivery, nurses immediately wrapped her baby in a clean blanket, despite Dr Tchanque arriving at the maternity ward with nothing prepared. This stark contrast sparked a calling to address neonatal care conditions across Africa.

"I was shocked and I felt there was a call somewhere," Dr Tchanque shared.

"I need to do something for Africa... Every newborn deserves love. This is a marker at the start of life for every new child."

Design and Meaning of the Colours

The design of the blanket was personally drawn by Dr Tchanque in her office after reflecting on how to challenge the mindset of poverty in Africa and demonstrate the value of love.

The blanket features three distinct colours: red, green, and yellow. Dr Tchanque noted that she selected and adjusted these colours based on personal intuition, without initially realising they matched the traditional Pan-African colours.

It was only after meeting Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama — whose invitation and support paved the way for the foundation to launch in Ghana — that she researched the history of the palette. For the foundation, these colours represent:

- Unity: Demonstrating that the African continent is united as one.

- Love and Dignity: Reassuring every child that they are valued from birth.

- Generational Change: Shaping a new future for the next generation.

The name "Angel Care" stems from Dr Tchanque's belief that all babies are biological "angels of God" who deserve immediate care and protection.