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German-Ghanaian Cooperation Plants Seeds for Farming Venture
Written by Dr. Helen M. Osei, Secretary General, UPF-Ghana
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Kpando, Ghana - A German Ambassador for Peace prepared the ground for a UPF meeting with a Ghanaian community which may lead to an organic farming business.
UPF-Ghana witnessed a hard time in 2014 in terms of finances, to the extent that it was difficult to organize even one meeting. The few activities that were carried out early in the year could not be reported because either there were no pictures or they were not recovered. One of the reasons for this was that the nation’s currency had suffered a serious fall. By contrast, 2015 is emerging as a year of hope.
Mr. Willie Hauck, an Ambassador for Peace from Germany, moved to Ghana early in 2014 because his wife comes from the Volta Region of the country. Before leaving Germany, he was advised to contact UPF-Ghana in order to support its activities.
Dr. Helen M. Osei, the secretary general of UPF-Ghana, traveled to the town of Kpando, a 5-hour journey from Accra, the capital, to meet him in June of 2014. Mr. Hauck expressed his willingness to start a UPF branch office in Kpando and said that he wanted to help UPF-Ghana take active steps in educating people on the importance of peaceful coexistence.
Bernd Flieger, an advisor to UPF-Germany, had testified last year to Mr. Hauck’s devotion and hard work. He said that Mr. Hauck, who is an engineer by profession, would bring his innate knowledge, ability and strength to help UPF in his new homeland.
Before the end of December 2014, Mr. Hauck contacted the national UPF office to say that he had arranged a brief, informal meeting of UPF-Ghana with the chiefs, elders and other citizens of Aziave, a suburb of Kpando.
On Jan. 17, 2015, Dr. Osei traveled to Aziave with Apostle Bill Forcha, an Ambassador for Peace who is the CEO of an organic fertilizer company. Mr. Forcha earlier had agreed to a partnership with UPF-Ghana to begin an organic farm while introducing the fertilizer, which he calls the first of its kind, to farmers in the country.
Aziave is a small community with a population of about 1,600. About 85 percent of the people are small-scale farmers who control an area of about 1,200 acres in total. A few engage in cash crops such as mango, banana, guava, plantain, etc., while the majority produce vegetables and other crops.
The idea of going there was not only to introduce UPF to the people and begin peace education, but also to bring all the small-scale farmers together and launch the New Hope Organic Fertilizer Farmers’ Club. Organic foods are in high demand in Ghana.
On Jan. 18, 2015, at about 3 p.m., chiefs, elders and community members of Aziave (mostly women) assembled at the chief’s compound. Mr. Hauck, who already had been installed as “developmental chief” of the area, introduced the UPF team.
Secretary General Helen Osei gave an overview of the UPF objectives and announced UPF-Ghana’s plan to assist the community in farming, education and health. These, she said, are basic ways by which peace/development can take root in a society. She commended Mr. Willie Hauck for his initiative in bringing UPF close to the community and added that once the office is set up there, activities of the organization will help to reshape the lifestyle of the people, especially the youth.
Mr. Forcha, the CEO of the fertilizer company, spoke with conviction on the benefits of using the fertilizer and called on the farmers in the community to come together as a group in order for the initiative to take off.
In their response, the chiefs thanked Mr. Hauck and the UPF team for bringing such a laudable vision to their community. They reiterated that in all the points that had been spoken about, what they needed most was the farming and tools. There were questions and answers concerning the fertilizer and its affordability. At the end, the elders promised UPF an office in the Municipal Assembly building and said they would provide land for the demonstration of the organic fertilizer.
Due to the people’s demand for a quick follow-up, we agreed before leaving Kpando that a formal meeting with the entire community would be scheduled within one month. On Jan. 23, the UPF team returned to Kpando to draw up plans for this meeting. They set Feb. 28 as the date for UPF to meet with the community, as well as March 1 for a one-day character/peace education workshop in the local primary school.
UPF expects that the news media within and outside Ghana will cover these events.
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