Etiti Achi Women Co-operative Union Skills Center
This centre is named after a Peterborough woman, Ellen MacAdam who gave the initial donation for the commencement of the project. She has also given the highest individual donation for the center through which the Cassava and Palm oil processing machines have been acquired for the centre. The Women Skill Centre for Etiti Achi women is a facility run by six women co-operative societies who are administered as a co-operative union. The Co-operative Union is a micro-credit union that gives out periodic interest free loan to deserving members, who must work within the agricultural and food processing, storage, and marketing sector
The Women Co-operative Union, aims at empowerment of people, promotion of integral development, challenging structures of injustice, creating hope and working for peace. The membership of the co-operative is voluntary, non-discriminatory, non-religious and governed by a constitution made by the women. Most of the women are not educated in Western schools but there are some educated women among them who help to do the paper work, but all of them are well sensitised and share a common vision on women empowerment and the capacity-building, skills-acquisition, and financial independence which they are gaining through the co-operative groups.
Canadian Samaritans for Africa is supporting the skill centre because after an initial visit by our directors Loretto Lane, Brigitte Kurowski-Wilson, and Stan Chu Ilo, we concluded that the women co-operative group’s project from the way it is conceived and being implemented will:
- -Promote human development and social justice.
- challenge structures and traditions that deprive women of freedom, hope and a worthwhile future.
- Initiate educational programme and affirmative action which lead to cultural authenticity and African women self determination.
- Assisting women to develop self determination and play leading roles in the community.
- Act as advocate for rural women and seek ways of liberating them.
The Women of Etiti Achi community are vibrant and hardworking and they believe that they can realize their goals by:
- Constant meeting, support networks, in built mechanism for accountability and responsibility. They have a monthly information and awareness sessions where the women have the opportunity of adult education, listen to news, and ask questions, and share their experiences as women;
- They have a strong and accountable leadership which represents their interest in town and village unions, church councils and development agencies;
- Four projects have been mapped out as pilot projects. Garri (garri is the staple food of people in this area and is made from cassava) processing machine, palm oil centre, sowing and cloth designing house, soap making and candle making. These projects are entirely in the hands of women including its management;
- The four projects shall provide employment for the women. Women can now earn salaries and contribute to the financial upkeep of their own families;
- The profit accruing from these four projects shall provide micro- credit and loan scheme to women who want to engage in small scale enterprise. Very poor and disabled women shall receive special attention under this programme.
The women themselves are the originators of this project. The concept arose as a response from the women to take their destinies into their hands, improve their living standards and those of their children, give themselves a voice and a belonging in a community where women are only objects.
The women have learnt that the male subjugation of women shall have no end except the women speak for themselves. The women believe that they shall never have a voice in their own communities unless they are intellectually and economically empowered. This concept is therefore the fruit of the questions women asked and are still asking on the meaning and the role of womanhood in today's world. The concept is the women's response for the clarion call for women empowerment and emancipation, which is part of the Millennium Development Goals.
What Canadian Samaritans for Africa has Done:
- The ongoing construction of the Women Skills Centre
- We have bought 2 cassava and palm oil processing equipment for the women co-operative groups
- We have financed and set up five women co-operative groups in the community and given 2000 Canadian dollars as micro credit for 10 women, 2 chosen from each of the five women co-operative groups.
We Need Donations to give more micro-credit for deserving small scale women driven businesses; and to equip the skills centre with more machines for food production and for the planned soap making unit.
THE ETITI ACHI WOMEN SKILL CENTER IS BEING BUILT THROUGH THE GENEROUS GRANT OF LUKE 4 FOUNDATION, PETERBOROUGH, ON, CANADA
