Most people of the Volta Region earn their living though faming animal husbandry and fishing. Wies tried to stimulate the d people in these sectors with small scale credit. She has set up a co operative from around two hundred people. In order to increase production and their income she has invested in locally made machines which make the work for women les tiresome. The farmers have also beenassisted with requiring of irrigation systems.
For insight of these investments see the summary from 2000.
The co-operation’s name DODZI is a degeneration of the family name of wies In Ewe it means courage. Dodzi Co operation has been registred by the Ghanaian Government. The aim is to create jobs in order to reduce poverty among the members Dodzi has bought farmland to cultivate corn cassava and yams, and introduced improved farm methods and responsible use of weedy and insecticides. and the maintenance and use of water pumping machines by farmers whose land lies near a river. Irrigation has increased their income with more than thirty percent. Especially during the dry season. Farming is done by man and women. The man does land preparation and the women takes care of sowing and weeding, Harvesting is often done together.In the year 2000 other people than farmers were allowed to become members of DODZI too. They obtained loans with which they could start small food processing plants or trade farm products Some women were able to enlarge their small business.More than 50% of members of the Co operative are women, the total number of members is around 500.
Micro credits are given to groups, the amount vary from 200 till 500 euro and have to be refunded within a year with an additional interest of ten percent. The interest is much lower than the charges of a bank.
The credit is often used for:
-Acquiring cutlass, hoe, boots, seeds and planting materials and fertilizer
-The non farmers use the credit
-For carpenters, workshop to produce furniture
-Production of palm nut oil and gari
-Production of aluminum and clay pots.
-Production of clothing and shoes
-Bakers, hairdressers soap makers and ice crème makers have also benefitted
-Assistance is given for setting up of workshops for fitters, black smiths, dressmakers, weavers and tie and die producers.
Food sellers have been assisted with means which enables them to buy straight from the production centers and avoid the services of middle man.
Their farm around 1000 acres
-The river Aflabo streams on he North of Golokuati. The inhabitants of eight small villages, cross it daily while around seven hundred farmers from the opposite direction do the same in order to reach their1000 acres of farm land.The only way in 2006 to cross was a deathtrap of a Bridge, made up out of lose tree trunks, half rotten slippery and very narrow, Regularly people fell of it while they were carrying head loads of farm produce.With financial aid of the Netherlands and the help of the Ghanaian Engineer, who build the water tank Wies build a 21m. long and 3 m. wide bridge. Now even tractors and other agriculture equipmentand vehicles can pass and the women can bring their harvest home in a short time. This development has had great impact in the farming activities in this area. Productivity and income has increased..
werk 004In 2005 Wies came in contact with Professor Daniel Fianu Dezor he lectured at Legon university. IN 2000 He started to plant 60 hectare of teak trees in the west of the Volta Region It was sponsored with money of World Nature Fund of the UN. In the initial stage the trees were looked after by school children. Their teachers were educated by Mr. Fianu. In this way the schools could get an extra income in order to buy teaching aid With money from the co operation and the Ghanaian Government Mr Fianu realized a tree nursery At the moment there are 20.000 high quality seedlings: cocoa, citrus, nutmeg palm and coconut trees in 30 cm high plastic bags filled with soil. Teacher’s parents and children water it and weed in between. It takes not much time and biology lessens are also practiced there. After 10 month they are ready for sale The income is used for note books and other needs for the students. The financial contribution from parents has gone down. It is intended to bring this program me to 20 other schools. In 2006 Dodzi Co operative has received 5000 US dollar of the Ghanaian Government. With this money Mr fianu has to expand the tree nursery and turn it in a tree grafting training centre. For this project the Ghanaian Government has set 15.000 Us dollar aside