Osei Boateng, a student in the University of Utah Master of Business Creation (MBC) program, has been nominated as one of this year’s “Top 10 CNN Heroes.” The U community can help him win a $100,000 grant toward continuing his humanitarian work in Ghana by voting for him as “Hero of the Year.” Voters can allocate 10 votes every day through Dec. 5.
In the MBC program, Boateng is growing his startup, Onehealth, which provides primary healthcare services and an innovative financing system. The MBC program provides founders with scholarships, personal mentorship, applied-curriculum, access to funding and more. The application is now open to join the program next spring or fall.
In addition to being a master’s student, Boateng is the executive director of OKB Hope Foundation in his home country of Ghana. The organization aims to improve the quality of lives of underserved Ghanaians by delivering innovative healthcare solutions and providing access to essential medical services.
Boateng started OKB in honor of his grandmother and auntie, who died due to healthcare inefficiency.
“My grandmother was a very big part of my life,” Boateng told CNN. “It was very hard when we lost her, and it was due to something that could have been easily prevented. That is the painful part of it.”
Since February 2022, OKB has served more than 5,000 underserved and rural Ghanaians across 52 rural communities. Through the organization’s Hope Health Vans, providers are resolving the issue of accessibility by bringing healthcare to people’s doorsteps.
In addition to direct clinical treatment, OKB’s “know your health” initiative launched in 2022 to educate and empower local community members to serve as health advocates in their own communities. Boateng noted that preventative care and healthcare screening is sorely underdeveloped in Ghana; OKB is already making strides toward fixing that. To date, they have trained 20 community health volunteers across four rural communities to check blood pressure and glucose levels, helping to identify and treat individuals at risk for certain diseases.
Recognizing that mental and physical health are inseparable, the organization has also served over 800 students through their mental health initiative, “Wohohiame,” which means “I care for you” in Twi (a Ghanaian language) since October 2022.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected as one of the top ten 2023 CNN Heroes for my international humanitarian service of bringing healthcare to the doorsteps of rural and underserved communities. This recognition means a lot to me, and it reflects the incredible dedication and hard work of our team in making a positive impact on a global scale,” said Boateng.
Watch a video and read more about Boateng’s work though OKB.
Vote now for Boateng at the CNN Hero of the Year. Voters can allocate 10 votes every day through Dec. 5.