ANKAFUL
ANKAFUL is the name of a village (a fishing community) in the Central Region of Ghana on the Atlantic coast.
The Association ANKAFUL was
created
in TOULOUSE in February 2001 by a group of specialised educators who
were
touched by the socio-economic difficulties faced by the inhabitants of
this
village, and the general developmental issues of countries in the South.
The Association needs help and goodwill from everyone in order to commence well with some developmental projects which aims to improve the standard of living and to reinforce the economic and the social autonomy of the inhabitants of ANKAFUL.
The idea came about after the
President of the association came into contact with the village of
ANKAFUL and
its inhabitants – men, women, children, the youth, fishermen, farmers
and so
forth.
The lack of materials, technical and financial means impedes and halts local development and therefore exacerbate poverty, creating or maintaining social difficulties such as illiteracy, large families, unemployment among the youth with the risk of moving into juvenile delinquency, young single mothers experiencing difficulties just as their children – and therefore trapped in a vicious circle.
Nevertheless, the village possesses both the natural and human resources that are the basic fundaments for local development. Natural resources such as fishes from the sea, and other agricultural products, and the human resources such as knowledge and the desire to succeed. If all these resources are correctly put to use, it would allow everyone to have a decent standard of living and come out of the vicious socio-economic circle in which they are unfortunately trapped in.
The first projects will be directed towards material security in trying to respond to the economic needs of the villagers through adaptable and realistic solutions all by just respecting some simple rules:
- respect the local people, their needs and demands
- respect the local environment in the development of fair and sustainable projects
- raise the importance of exploiting existing resources (fishing, farming, local knowledge)
- equally distribute the income gained from community projects
- help with access to education : schooling, professional apprenticeship, informal training on management issues, home economics etc. for the women, children and the youth,
- organise educational or sensitisation programs concerning health/hygiene and the environment.
The projects, adhering to the
principles of sustainable development, will be realized by integrating the
village community into activities concerning fishing, navigation, artistic
workshops, sharing of everyday activities such as fishing, farming, trading,
catering and other vocational works.
- renovating and creating accessible
roads
- creation of a refuge centre as a
hostel and an information resource centre for young single mothers and children
in difficulties
- assisting the schools with
material and human resources, and initiating curriculum programmes to cover
vocational training
- developing modern farming practices
- cultivation and commercialisation
of medicinal plants
- creating and managing cooperatives
of fishermen and fish mongers, organising training workshops on fish
preservation and marketing
- initiating educational campaigns
to sensitive the inhabitants on environmental health and hygiene
- establishing a public waste
disposal site, construction of public toilets, and organising a monthly
communal cleaning exercise in the village and on the bordering beach
- constructing Mexican well systems and instituting a sustainable water management through recycling of used water
- building a tourist site based on the notions of eco-construction and eco-tourism – comprising of guests houses, restaurants, halls for visual arts exposition and performing arts (music, drumming, dancing and theatre). Here, privilege will be given to the use of local materials and traditional knowledge, adopting solar and wind power as electricity, and meals prepared with farming products cultivated by the inhabitants.
Ankaful Annual General Meeting, 26th January 2008
| ANKAFUL president, Sylvie GURGUI, a few days before her departure for her one-year trip in Ghana, intending to set the basis and start the first projects. Here with SANKOFA president, Alfred OHENE-AKONOR. |  |
