Heartbeat for Africa (HBA) began with a vision given to Ed Harrow. In 2006, after 3 trips to Africa, Ed clearly felt God leading him to develop a non-profit foundation to reach out to individuals, churches and secular organizations to make a difference in the lives of people in Ghana and throughout West Africa. In October 2006, the founding officers: Ed Harrow, June Crawford, Dr. John Utz and Jeff Wesley, incorporated Heartbeat for Africa as a 501(c)3 non-profit in the state of Arizona. HBA initially worked with African partners in the area around Ho, Ghana to conduct medical clinics, build rainwater harvesting tanks, and solicit individual sponsors to provide monthly support for orphans. As the foundation gained more experience and the board grew to include both U.S. and Ghanaian directors, we expanded our scope of operations to more West African nations and adopted a development strategy called Community Health Evangelism (CHE) to guide our efforts. CHE concentrates efforts on long-term solutions that break the cycle of poverty and disease. Through CHE, we train, equip and empower people to do for themselves. We focus on development rather than relief and disease prevention rather than medical intervention. We are on a mission to partner with West Africans as they bring Godly, sustainable transformation to their homes and communities.