Music and Health at Padre Pio Rehabilitation Centre

Bill Ahessy and Katie Fitzpatrick are raising funds for music and health projects and supplies at the Padre Pio Rehabilitation Centre in Cape Coast, Ghana. All funds raised will be used to directly benefit service users at the centre.

The University of Limerick (UL) has a well-established link with the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the Padre Pio Rehabilitation Centre. Skill sharing and mutual learning are the bedrocks of this partnership. The UL music therapy department became involved in 2019 when Prof Hilary Moss joined a working group. Erasmus + funding was made available for developments between the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and UCC. It was noted that service users from the Padre Pio Centre could benefit from music therapy and music and health supports.

In October 2024, Bill and Katie will travel to Cape Coast to train music students in UCC to facilitate music and health projects for the Padre Pio Centre. The Special Needs Unit at Padre Pio Rehab Centre supports children and young adults who have physical or mental disabilities including cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism, other severe challenges and brain injury due to cerebral malaria and other undiagnosed issues. St. Claire's home provides rooms for up to 20 people and is a long term residential home for older adults with multiple disabilities who are former leprosy sufferers. The facility has a 20 bed capacity.

It is envisaged that through training of music students and staff at UCC, sustainable music and health projects can be established to support the many service users at the Padre Pio centre. Funds raised will be used to support local project facilitators, transport, and supplies.