Fair Trade Towns USA

This week in one of my English classes we had a guest speaker from Ghana. Her name was Cecilia Appianim, and she is part of the the Kuapo Kokoo Farmers' Union. If you have purchased "Divine Chocolate" anywhere on campus you have provided money to this fair trade organization. Cecilia came to our class to promote fair trade on our campus, and to rais awareness for fair trade products. 

Within her presentation Cecilia mentions the projects that are specifically for women. The women do things like make soap, design and produce the uniforms for the cooperative, and make bracelets to sell. Women and men are equal in this cooperative. Annually there is a meeting to discuss social projects that will be done within the communities. These  social projects include things like building schools, building community centers, building bridges, and maintaining roads. I found it really interesting that each community has to have one male and one female representative in order for their vote to count. 

In August 2010 the first female President of Kuapo Kokoo Cooperative was elected. Her name is Christiana Ohene Agyare, and she is a cocoa farmer within the cooperative. Cecilia said that since her election she has been a wonderful leader, and that she is proud to be a part of an organization that views women as equals to men. 

http://www.modernghana.com/news/294216/1/kuapa-kokoo-farmers-union-elects-first-woman-pres.html