Women traders form association to improve environment.

Juaso (Ash) April 16, GNA -- Women association, "Ye Bre Ama Yen Mmakuo" has been inaugurated at Juaso with the assurance from the District Assembly that they will be supported financially in their trading ventures as well as be assisted with material resources to clean the environment.

Dr Lord Justice Gyamfi Fenteng, District Chief Executive for Asante Akim South District Assembly (AASDA) advised the members to form trading groups so that they could access part of the Youth Fund that has been released by the government to help reverse poverty trend in the district.

He disclosed that the District Co-operative officer has been directed to help educate members of the association on how they could form themselves into groups to enable them to access the Youth Fund, adding, "you should also make yourselves available to other women's groups in the country to explain to you issues about women." Dr Fenteng advised them not to limit their association to close relations, but to the wider public, so that whatever they do would benefit the entire community, and to win their confidence and support. He noted that since they initiated their programme to undertake clean-up exercise on Wednesdays, there have been notable signs of no more chocked gutters, and the water sachets have also been picked, giving Juaso streets a healthy new look.

The assembly is making efforts to provide refuse bins containers along the streets, so that the public will dump papers, sachets and other rubbish that litter the streets into them to keep the environment clean. Nana Owusu Akyeaw Prempeh II, Juasohene expressed his gratitude to the women for working hard to help future generations, and to ensure the cleanliness of the town, saying, "without our children, we will not have the motivation to work harder."

Many women work hours on end to take care of their children's school fees and entire education, their health care and feed them, in spite of the fact that some of them have not had good education. Nana Prempeh advised them not to make the environmental issues a nine-day wonder, for these were programmes that are not receiving global attention.

He urged them to learn from Otumfio Osei Tutu the II, Asantehene, who has also initiated clean-up exercises to help improve the environmental conditions of Kumasi metropolis.

Ms Faustina Amponsah, chairperson of the association, in a welcoming address said they have formed the association to encourage the people in the town to keep the environment clean and also mobilise young girls to learn skills so that they could be gainfully employed.