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A 9,500-dollar bead-making
factory for Manya Krobo
Manya Krobo (ER), Nov. 7, Ghanadot/GNA - The United States
Government on Friday inaugurated a 9,500-dollar bead-making
factory for Manya Krobo Queen Mothers Association to
generate income to cater for People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWA),
orphans and the vulnerable in society.
The Manya Krobo Community is among the six communities in
Ghana with the highest prevalence rate of people affected by
HIV.
The project is part of the US Government project called the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief using the
Ambassador Special Self-Help Programme, a programme that
provide grants to community based organizations, local non
governmental organizations and other grassroots project.
Under the project the US Government through the Ambassador
provide funds for people at the grassroots or in rural areas
who need support to venture into income generating projects
or activities for orphans and vulnerable people.
Mr Philip Cummings, Chief of Economic Section at the US
Embassy in Accra who represented the US Ambassador Mr Donald
Teitelbaum, noted that the facility was needed to help the
community and the queen mothers to generate extra income to
enable them provide care-givers for the target groups in the
community.
Mr Cummings said: "This project would definitely improve
their income, provide job for more women and save them the
laborious work of breaking and grinding the raw glass and
add value to their beads."
The US Government provided shelter, purchased and installed
glass-crushing equipment as well as other bead making
equipment to facilitate efficient bead making.
Mr Cummings commended members of the association for their
hard work, expertise and labour for making the project a
success.
"The completion of this project demonstrates that community
organizations working for their self help partners can truly
make a better life for themselves."
He encouraged the association to save some of the proceeds
from the project to ensure its regular maintenance.
Giving a background to the project, Mr Cummings said the
American Embassy in Accra in 2007 made grants of 20,000
dollars for two projects.
The bead-making factory was one of only two projects
selected out of 15 applications.
Madam Manye Nartekie, Project Leader, expressing gratitude,
said the association was formed in 1989 to give care and
support for the target groups in the community.
She said the association had about 1,350 HIV patients and
orphans to cater for and expressed hope that with the
inauguration of the factory they could generate more income
to make the people more comfortable.
Madam Nartekie, however, appealed for more support from the
US Government to enable them run the place effectively and
efficiently.
Mr Abraham Tetteh Osakonor, Leader of Bead Makers expressed
happiness at the project and said at first their work was
very tedious because they had to pound the glass to enable
them get the right material for the bead.
"Now we would be more efficient because we do not need to
use manpower to pound glass and we can produce more than we
use to do," he said.
GNA
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