Dr Olivia Tchanque, a licensed pharmacist, healthcare entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Angel Care Pharmacy and Angel Care Foundation, has outlined an ambitious humanitarian drive aimed at improving newborn care across Africa through the large-scale distribution of baby blankets.
Speaking at a donation event held at the Ghana Police Hospital on June 25, 2026, Dr Tchanque said her foundation is targeting the distribution of one million blankets across the continent within the next five years, beginning with pilot efforts in Ghana.
She explained that the long-term vision is to ensure that every newborn baby receives basic warmth and care at birth, describing the initiative as one rooted in compassion and collective responsibility.
According to her, the foundation’s immediate goal is to establish strong partnerships with hospitals across Ghana within its first year of operation in order to reach newborns and families in need.
“The blanket will be given to every newborn baby on the African continent. That’s a goal and that’s a vision, and our vision is to be able to do it within the first year in Ghana, be able to partner with many hospitals and reach out to many people who are willing to partner with us and be able to reach out to families that are in need,” she said.
Dr Tchanque stressed that the initiative is designed to leave no one behind, adding that outreach efforts would extend across all regions of Ghana, starting with planned activities in the northern part of the country following the launch event.
“No one is going to be left alone. So our vision is to partner with hospitals, be able to give 1 million blankets across the African continent in the next five years. The vision of this is to help all the communities,” she added.
She further noted that the foundation’s work is driven by passion and a sense of purpose, explaining that challenges encountered along the way are viewed as part of the process rather than obstacles.
Dr Tchanque indicated that one of the initial difficulties faced by the foundation was securing the right materials and manufacturing partners for the blankets during its early setup phase in Ghana. However, she said those issues have since been resolved.
She also shared a personal account that inspired the initiative, tracing it back to her early exposure to maternal care experiences and later observations during childbirth in the United States.
Reflecting on her own delivery experience in 2009, she described her surprise at receiving immediate postnatal care, where her baby was wrapped in a blanket, contrasting it with her experience of entering the maternity ward without such support.
“I was shocked and I felt there was a call somewhere. I need to do something for Africa. Why not Africa? We have to do it,” she said, emphasising her motivation to bridge gaps in newborn care across the continent.
Dr Tchanque added that every newborn deserves care and dignity from the very beginning of life, describing the initiative as a response to a deeply personal conviction shaped by both professional and lived experiences.
AK/BAI
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