Impact

Every Number Represents a Life Touched

Since our founding in 2025, GACO has worked to improve respiratory health by educating communities, training volunteers, and expanding access to respiratory health knowledge in underserved communities.

Together with our volunteers, partners, and supporters, we are helping to Renew Breathing, one community at a time.

2100+ People Educated

9 Countries Engaged

12 Outreach Events

40+ Volunteers Mobilized

Every number tells a story. Every story represents lives empowered to breathe better.

Digital Respiratory Health Education

A visual snapshot of GACO's growing respiratory health education, community outreach, volunteer engagement, and geographic reach.

Digital Education — Questions from the Field

Multilingual respiratory health education inspired by real community questions.

Video Library

Regional Teams Addressing Asthma Stigma

Educational Videos

Regional Teams Addressing Asthma Stigma

Voices from GACO regional teams addressing asthma stigma through respiratory health education in English, Arabic, and French.

Asthma Stigma

Maha on Asthma Stigma

Regional respiratory health education addressing misconceptions and stigma surrounding asthma.

French • Chad

Mahamat Chad French

A French-language regional education video supporting asthma awareness and reducing stigma.

Asthma Stigma

MaryPeace on Asthma Stigma

Community-focused education addressing asthma stigma and encouraging better understanding and support.

World Asthma Day 2026

World Asthma Day 2026 SW Team

GACO's Southwest regional team supporting asthma awareness, education, and community engagement for World Asthma Day 2026.

Our Reach

GACO is combining active community outreach with capacity-building in additional countries to expand respiratory health education sustainably.

Active Community Outreach

🇳🇬 Nigeria 🇬🇭 Ghana 🇺🇸 United States

Building Capacity

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso 🇹🇩 Chad 🇪🇬 Egypt 🇪🇹 Ethiopia 🇬🇳 Guinea 🇱🇷 Liberia

GACO Geographic Reach

Active Community Outreach Building Capacity

Green markers represent countries with active community outreach. Blue markers represent countries where GACO is building capacity for expanded respiratory health education and engagement.

Stories of Impact

🇬🇭 Ghana: Empowering Young People Through Respiratory Health Education

GACO's outreach in Ghana focused on equipping young people with practical knowledge about asthma, its triggers, prevention, and self-management.

March 2026

Church Outreach

Approximately 114 youth participated.
Two individuals experiencing respiratory symptoms were identified and referred to a healthcare facility for further evaluation.
The session was highly interactive, with participants expressing gratitude for the education and practical guidance provided by the GACO team.

July 2026

Secondary School Outreach

Approximately 194 students participated.
Two students who reported symptoms suggestive of respiratory disease were identified and referred for medical evaluation.
Students actively asked questions about symptom management, asthma triggers, and prevention, and shared that they had gained a much better understanding of asthma.

August 23, 2026

Church Outreach — Ghana

27 participants received asthma and COPD education.
None reported prior knowledge of COPD.
Participants learned about respiratory symptoms, risk factors, environmental exposures, prevention, and when to seek care.
Referrals were encouraged for participants with respiratory health concerns.
Participants received GACO asthma and COPD educational pamphlets to reinforce learning beyond the session.

September 25, 2026

School Outreach — Ghana

Approximately 700 students received asthma education.
The interactive session focused on improving understanding of respiratory health, recognizing symptoms, identifying common triggers and risk factors, and promoting prevention.
Referrals were encouraged for students experiencing respiratory health concerns.
Students received GACO asthma educational pamphlets to reinforce learning beyond the session.
The school administration expressed appreciation for the outreach and requested that GACO return for future educational sessions.

Stories of Impact

🇳🇬 Nigeria: Closing the COPD Knowledge Gap

Across churches, schools, and community settings, GACO's outreach revealed a consistent challenge—very few people had ever heard of COPD despite many being exposed to significant respiratory risk factors.

March 2026

Church Outreach — Southwest Nigeria

Approximately 50 participants attended.
One participant with respiratory symptoms was identified and referred for further evaluation.
None of the participants had prior knowledge of COPD.
Participants learned how environmental and biomass exposures can affect lung health and appreciated practical ways to reduce these risks.

Questions included:
Can someone have both asthma and COPD?
Can these diseases lead to heart problems?

May 2026

Secondary School Outreach — South-South Nigeria

Approximately 400 students participated.
Students, teachers, and school administrators welcomed the program and expressed appreciation for the asthma education and awareness provided by GACO.

June 2026

Mosque Outreach — Southwest Nigeria

Approximately 30 participants attended.
One participant experiencing respiratory symptoms was identified and referred.
Only one participant had previously heard of COPD.

Questions included:
Is asthma hereditary?
Is there a cure for asthma?

June 2026

Church Outreach — Southwest Nigeria

Approximately 200 participants attended.
No participants had prior knowledge of COPD.
Discussions focused on biomass exposure, COPD awareness, and environmental triggers.
Participants expressed appreciation for learning how reducing smoke and pollutant exposure can help protect lung health.

Question included:
Does cold air trigger or cause asthma or COPD?

September 13, 2026

Church Outreach — Southwest Nigeria

Approximately 341 participants received asthma and COPD education.
Education included symptom recognition, prevention, inhaler awareness, and environmental and biomass exposures.
One participant reported cooking with firewood, working in a very dusty environment, and recently experiencing chest pain.
The session reinforced the importance of reducing harmful respiratory exposures where possible and seeking medical evaluation for concerning symptoms.
Referrals were encouraged.
Participants received GACO asthma and COPD educational pamphlets for continued learning.

September 17, 2026

Farmers’ Association — Southwest Nigeria

20 farmers participated in an interactive session on asthma, COPD, and respiratory exposures encountered in everyday life and work.
None reported prior knowledge of COPD.
Two participants with diagnosed asthma received additional education on correct inhaler technique and asthma management.
Five participants reported experiencing some of the respiratory symptoms discussed and were encouraged to seek medical evaluation.
Farmers received N95 respirators and protective gloves to support safer work practices, as well as GACO asthma and COPD educational pamphlets.
Participants were highly engaged and asked whether GACO could return every three months to continue providing respiratory health education.

September 18, 2026

Girls’ Correctional Center — Southwest Nigeria

20 participants received asthma and COPD education.
None reported prior knowledge of COPD.
Participants learned about respiratory symptoms, risk factors, prevention, environmental exposures, and when to seek appropriate care.
Each participant received GACO asthma and COPD educational pamphlets to take with them.

October 10, 2026

Church Outreach — Southwest Nigeria

Approximately 65 participants received community-based asthma and COPD education.
None of the participants reported prior knowledge of COPD, highlighting the continued need for respiratory health awareness.
The session focused on improving understanding of asthma and COPD, respiratory symptoms, risk factors, and prevention.
Referrals were made for further medical evaluation.
Participants received GACO asthma and COPD educational pamphlets to reinforce learning beyond the outreach.

A Common Theme Across Every Outreach

Respiratory health education saves lives.

Dangers of biomass and environmental exposures

Reducing stigma surrounding asthma and COPD

Recognizing early respiratory symptoms

Knowing when and where to seek medical care

Practical prevention and self-management strategies

Beyond education, GACO's outreach has already helped identify individuals experiencing respiratory symptoms who had never been diagnosed, connecting them with healthcare facilities for further evaluation.
These moments remind us that every conversation, every question, and every outreach has the potential to change a life.

Voices from the Community

The strongest evidence of impact often comes directly from the people reached.

“I didn't know cooking smoke could damage my lungs.”

“I appreciate this teaching, especially on biomass exposure.”

“This was my first time learning about COPD.”

Measuring Our Impact

GACO evaluates its programs by tracking both reach and learning.

Participants Reached

Knowledge Gained

Volunteer Engagement

Community Partnerships

Geographic Expansion

Participant Feedback

Looking Ahead

As GACO continues to grow, we are committed to expanding both reach and quality.

Expanding into additional underserved communities

Increasing multilingual respiratory health education

Strengthening volunteer capacity

Building new partnerships

Expanding digital education through Questions from the Field

Improving access to respiratory health resources

Help Us Reach More Communities

Every donation, volunteer, and partnership helps us bring life-changing respiratory health education to underserved communities around the world.

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