Skills training for women, from the Fairtrade Premium

I sometimes get overwhelmed by all people I meet and all new things I see and trying to settle in this new place - which results in few blogposts, sorry for that..

Two weekends ago, us at the WAFN office were invited to attend an activity funded by the Fairtrade Premium! It was the banan plantation VREL that on the initiative of the women organizer (Patience, the lady in the background in the photo) arranged a skills training in

 making of meatpies and cakes.

In Ghana, even if men often are the main breadwinner, the women often need additional resources outside their own salary to cover for the needs of the family. Therefor this training was suggested so that interested female workers could learn how to make pies and cakes, and therefor get some small income. This is important especially during the times of the year when the work at the plantation might be less, but the need for money still is there in the lives of the women.

The invited trainer, went through the process of making small meat pies, advicing the workers on good and bad ingredients to use (cabbage and fresh tomatoes makes the pie go bad fast, while canned meat is ok). Recipies were handed out and people got to try how to mix the ingredients, and of course try the pie aswell..

Attending the training, the english speaking Liaison Officer Ernest also explained in detail what the Fairtrade Premium is, and how it can be used, and also saying that this training 

was one of the first of its kind in Ghana! (Since it focused especially on women and involved building of skills)

The next step will be for the women to get the ingredients and get started! Hopefully the majority of the ladies who attended felt that they could use this new knowledge.

Below is a photo of the participants during a break

Trying to survive as a vegetarian in Ghana..

HOW TO BE A VEGETARIAN IN GHANA..

During my first visit to Ghana I lost several kilos of weight, and that is very reasonable given the fact that almost all traditional Ghanaian food has either fish, goat, pig or beef in it..

A huge local favourite are the fufu's, banku's and the kenke's.. which are kind of like doughs (sometimes sourdoughs) made from either cassava or corn.. however I also find it hard to ear that aswell, its slimy and not so tasty, if you dont have any stew next to it (and that stew is always made with some small creature inside..)

Anyway, thanks to a new friend - Megan I have now found a great vegetarian restaurant not far from my office and the airport area. It is called something so spectacular as Vegetarian Health Food Center. When I was there I could for the first time in my three visits to Ghana try the groundnut soup, a local dish. Also had some nice tomato stew with mushrooms and tofu! - In Ghana! oh mama!

I asked if there were more vegetarian restaurants and was told about;

Asase Pa, close to the A.M.A - Accra Metropolitan Assembly.

My new veggie spot is located in the back of the EL-WAK (stadium, close to the airport in Burma Camp) at the same road as Survey Department. Call 024-3469541 for orders..

Below, the best vegetarian pizza you can find in Ghana, at the italian restaurant just a block away from Big Millys at Kokrobite!

Emilie

Midsummer in Kokrobite

During the weekend me and some friends went east from Accra, to the popular beach called Kokrobite. Here the local fishers and the tourists all gather at the beach together with the rastafarians - It is a really warm and welcoming area. 

Some of the nicest people I have met live 

in Kokrobite and I was very happy to meet them again. In the photo is Trinity and Joyce with Kajsa. Joyce makes beautiful clothes and necklesses and Trinity is the best in her class in kindergarden. 

The evening we arrived the hostel Big Milly's arragend a cultural night, however the rain was pouring down, very heavily, but the dancers and the drumm

ers kept going.. In Sweden this evening is used for celebrating midsummer and our original plan was to also do it... how ever it all ended with us having a icecream bowl together with some other Swedish girls, and the cheese and other midsummer food was left in the fridge..

I also met up with my old mates Mike, Eric and Paajoe.. and as always when meeting old friends, it just feels as if you just left, and it feels like nothing has changed.

Hopefully I'll be able to go back to Kokrobite in a couple of weeks..

First inspiring days in office

Oh, I am so blessed!

This internship is just soo much more than I ever could have expected. My internship at the West African Fairtrade Network (WAFN) is located in a office in central Accra, together with Agroeco who partly works with Rainforrest Alliance (leading to very interesting discussion, you can imagine!).

My work is to assist the regional coordinator - Banson, a ghanaian men in his best years. We are having many interesting and funny discussions and will have a great coming two months, I am very certain about! 

Anyway, WAFN is one of several Fairtrade-certified producer network, supporting producers from Ghana, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Cote d' Ivoire and Mali. WAFN is member of the the African Fairtrade Network (AFN) who are to represent and communicate in matters regarding Fairtrade (ex standards, new productgroups etc)

At this moment WAFN is working within a Comic Relief funded project called 'Fairtrade Development for Africa' which is coordinated through Fairtrade Foundation. 

I am just about to get a grip over WAFN, but already feel very inspired by looking at the producerlists we have over Ghana! - Here you can find beautiful Fairtrade-certified mangos, bananas, pineapples, cocoa and cashewnuts! - Importers wanted!

Today a newly Fairtrade-certified cashewnut producer visited our office and invited us to join them when their cooperative have the annual general meeting in some weeks! - Wow - cashewnuts, I'm gonna learn all about them! The cooperative consist of 1750 members and just sell the rawnut, which needs to be processed, which is done in a local factory. - At this moment they have not exported any nuts, but are building capacity for it. 

Since monday me and Banson have visited VREL - a Fairtrade-certified banana producer for a meeting, and were able to visit a Fairtrade premium paid school which I visited last time in Ghana, when it was being build. - It was nice to see how it worked now, being full with students! 

We also had the chance to have some lunch next to the Akosombo river, imagine how lucky I am to do this during office hours! ... however sometimes the public transport system with tro-tro's feels a bit unsafe, sitting in the back of a minibus without any belts, the only thing to do then is to chant hare krishna.. haha 

Now I'm going to a jazz event to meet sweet friend Kajsa!

Leaving for Ghana!

Hello!

Just a shout out, before my flight leaves tomorrow morning! I'm gonna have a couple of free days before I start at the office on monday, where I will have a meeting with the coordinator of the network and the chairperson of the network!

Until the the plan is to visit Tema and all family and friends there, including my dog - snäckan, and braid my hair!

Give me a couple of days then I'm back with more info! Can't wait!

Namaste!

Ive been busy the last week, having my family visiting and just relaxing over the holidays.. Last night i got back from a short visit to Kumasi and the eastern region, where i was able to meet some members of Kuapa Kokoos 45000 cocoafarmers! Very inspireng! The photos in this collage are from Kokrobite beach where we spent christmas, some of the Kuapa's, me buying beads, sister Lina getting some things stitched and Trinity, my new little Ghananian friend!

The coming week ill try to do the internviews i need for my thesis which will focus on the implemenation of the Fairtrade Social Premium in a Ghananian context!

In Kumasi!

Visiting Kuapa Kokoo in Kumasi. So these last days ive been in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region (you RnB lovers know about the talented singer Ashanti from the states, guess where she got her name from?) Ive been meeting people from Kuapa Kokoo and have been given information about the organic cocoa project KK was involved in some years ago, their work with gender issues and how much they actually can achieve with the premium money! Unfortunately i wont be able to visit the farmers this time around, so ill have to come back in jan, but that will be just fine.
In Kumasi the governmental organization Cocobod who manages all sales of cocoa from Ghana is located and i paid them a short visit, there is a photo with me and the guys from the processing unit showing some of the products that are being processed and sold in Ghana made with Ghanian cocoa under the label Goldentree. (According to me though the products would probably not sell in Sweden, since the taste is very different from our ordinary supermarket chocolate, since this one has much more sugar to not melt in this warm climate!)
In Ghana when someone dies, alot of time and money are being spent on the funeral. In the cities posters are being put up everywhere and all who have ever met or know someone who might have known or met the dead person are expected and welcome to attend.

Visiting Kuapa Kokoo in Kumasi

Visiting Kuapa Kokoo in Kumasi. So these last days ive been in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region (you RnB lovers know about the talented singer Ashanti from the states, guess where she got her name from?) Ive been meeting people from Kuapa Kokoo and have been given information about the organic cocoa project KK was involved in some years ago, their work with gender issues and how much they actually can achieve with the premium money! Unfortunately i wont be able to visit the farmers this time around, so ill have to come back in jan, but that will be just fine.
In Kumasi the governmental organization Cocobod who manages all sales of cocoa from Ghana is located and i paid them a short visit, there is a photo with me and the guys from the processing unit showing some of the products that are being processed and sold in Ghana made with Ghanian cocoa under the label Goldentree. (According to me though the products would probably not sell in Sweden, since the taste is very different from our ordinary supermarket chocolate, since this one has much more sugar to not melt in this warm climate!)
In Ghana when someone dies, alot of time and money are being spent on the funeral. In the cities posters are being put up everywhere and all who have ever met or know someone who might have known or met the dead person are expected and welcome to attend.

(ill post the photos when back in Tema!)