Contents |
Bronx, New York
The Village of Apatrapa
Geographically, the West Africa country of Ghana is bordered by the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo and the Atlantic Ocean. Ghana is divided into ten administrative regions. The Ashanti Region is one of the ten regions. The Village of Apatrapa is located in the Ashanti Region of Ghana approximaely four hours away from Accra, the capital of Ghana. The rolling hills of Apatrapa is located on a 2-kilometer branch of the main Sunyani-Kumasi Road, 5 kilometers from Kumasi, the Provincial capital of the Ashanti Region.
The average family size is 5.5 children. Seventy percent of the 10,000 villagers are women and children. The average income is less than $2.00 a day. The village needs are extensive. The people are extremely friendly, sincere, honest, caring, appreciative, and proud of their ancestry. The women are hard workers. They walk to the farms, to the markets, and to fetch water with babies on their back and a load on their head. Life in the village is without the basic essentials of water and toilets. The people struggle to survive monetary inflation. There are no medical facilities in the village. Hospitals in Ghana do not treat patients unless the patients pay first. Its policy is cash and carry. Effective drugs are not available or are too expensive. Some children and adults without money die from common ailments. There is one public school in the village. This school cannot accommodate all the students who are of school age. The Dorsett Memorial School is also a primary school which serves students in an area where there is no school facility.
In February, 1997, the people of Apatrapa were visited by four African Americans lead by Dr. Beryl Dorsett and accompanied by Mary Singletary, Past National President of NANBPWC, Inc. It was the first time that African Americans set foot on the soil of the village. In July, 1997, Dr. Beryl Dorsett was enstooled Nkosuohemaa, a Queenmother of Atwima Apatrapa; her enstooled name is Nana Ama Serwah-Nyarko.
Nana Ama Serwah-Nyarko initiated several projects in the village. For additional information,contact us at: |