A 9,500-dollar bead-making factory for Manya Krobo

Manya Krobo (ER), Nov. 7, 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.