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Bronx, New York
Formation of Apatrapa Women in Development Organization
The Apatrapa Women in Development was organized December,1997. The organization was formed with an executive board of 12 women. The Queenmother of Apatrapa, Nana Achia Panin,II, is the President. The organization currently has more than 50 members. The purpose of the organization is to create economic development projects in a village where the majority of the women work on farms or as vendors at the market. The average income is $2.00 a day.
Update of women's projects in the village
1. Nutrition: With the completion of two water wells in
March 1998, the first in the village, a community vegetable
garden will be started. Packets of vegetable seeds have been
donated and delivered to the village. Women will plant collard
greens, peas, beets, beans, okra, radish, carrots, tomatoes,
mustard, pepper, cucumber, cantaloupe, cabbage, parsley, corn,
lettuce, squash, kale and sweet basil. The greens will be
harvested in June/July 1998.
The diet of the women lack green vegetables. The staple
foods are rice, yams, cassava, potatoes, corn, and bread. A demonstration of how vegetables such as collard greens and kale are prepared will take place in July, 1998 when African Americans visit the village. The cooking will be done by African Americans using traditional cooking methods of African women. The Ghanaian women have never seen or tasted collard greens or kale. They are in for a real treat. Some of the vegetables grown will be sold to earn funds for the women's association.
2. Tye Dye: Seventy-five yards of cotton materials were delivered to the women's organization in March in order for the
women to start a tye-dye business. The women will be taught how to tye dye the material in order to create a variety of authentic patterns. The products will be sold at the markets. Cotton fabrics of solid colors are needed to continue the project.
3. Dome-Shaped Clay Oven: The Ghanaian women would like to earn a living by baking bread in the village. Funds are needed to build a dome-shaped brick clay oven and to buy ingredients for the bread.
A sum of $350 will pay for the cost of building one clay oven and will buy flour, sugar, margarine, yeast, baking powder, nutmeg, vanilla essence and baking pans. The sum also includes a small fee for transferring the money through Western Union to Kumasi. The project will be supervised by the Queenmother of Apatrapa, Nana Achiaa Panin, II.
It will take one month to build the oven. A photographer will take pictures of the building stages of the oven as well as the women baking bread for a living. All donors will be issued an official receipt as well as have their names permanently engraved at the site of the clay oven.
Anyone interested in either donating funds towards any of the projects listed above, or wishing additional information, please contact:
or email at
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