November 2025 Champion in Action: Akosua Kumi Nyarko

For this month’s Champion in Action, Kerenza Vlastou, GARC’s Community Outreach Director, spoke to Akosua Kumi Nyarko from Ghana. She is a dedicated veterinarian, as well as a Bronze Dog Health Champion. Her journey as a community advocate is inspiring. Her achievements are remarkable and her thoughtful, culturally sensitive approach towards raising rabies awareness truly embodies what it means to be a Champion in Action.

Akosua’s dedication started when she was a child growing up in Ghana. She was surrounded by animals, and she enjoyed caring for injured birds and pets in her neighborhood. At the young age of six, she was already dreaming of building a shelter for the animals in her community. However,  becoming a veterinarian was not easy. After completing a BSc in Animal Biology, she spent another five years in veterinary school. Her persistence and passion drove her to keep studying for a total of nine years. She is proud to also be recognized as a Bronze Dog Health Champion through GARC’s Education Platform.

Finishing her qualifications was not the end, but only the beginning of her challenges in terms of raising rabies awareness in communities where the disease is often misunderstood. In many areas, communities do not see rabies as a medical issue but rather as a spiritual one. When a person does get bitten by a dog and starts to show symptoms of rabies,  families often do not talk about it because they consider the topic a taboo. They will try traditional medicines and when that fails, they will not report it. This makes education and prevention especially difficult even if people continue to pass away within the community. Akosua is working to change these perceptions but she emphasized that changing perceptions requires patience, empathy and involving children. She truly believes that children can become powerful advocates within their families.

Akosua shared an interesting experience regarding  the COVID-19 pandemic. While in many cases the pandemic really hindered efforts to eliminate rabies, it became an unexpected ally in Akosua’s awareness work. With people spending more time online, WhatsApp and Instagram provided platforms to educate friends and followers about rabies prevention and elimination, as well as how to be responsible pet owners. She started with simple posts that eventually grew into an initiative that is now The Animal Aider Project (TAAP), which gained momentum after she participated in the Clinton Global Initiative University Fellowship in 2022. They are also featured this month as our Excellence in Action feature. Read more about how their work as a Rabies Center of Excellence is helping communities in Ghana – click here.

One of the aspects of Akosua’s work that stands out is her mentorship program for young veterinarians. She designed a six-week online program to teach students clinical, community outreach, fundraising, and project management skills. She is especially proud of one of her mentees who won an international grant, demonstrating how empowering the next generation can have ripple effects far beyond a single community.

Hearing Akosua describe her work reinforces the importance of culturally informed approaches in rabies prevention and elimination efforts. It is not enough to just provide vaccines. We need to build trust and  understanding within our communities. We need to continuously educate to create awareness. Akosua’s combination of scientific knowledge, compassion, and leadership is a powerful model for anyone working in animal welfare or public health.

The Communities Against Rabies initiative is supported by Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.