Oboadaka (E/R), Oct. 26, GNA - One Hundred and eighty participants, mostly women from a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) on Saturday, ended a two-week training programme on beekeeping at Oboadaka near Suhum in the Eastern Region.

The programme was part of the Abibiman Sankofa Cultural Movement's (ASCUM) development assistance to help reduce poverty in the rural areas, especially among its members. In an address, Mr Freeman Madzi, Executive Director of ASCUM, said the project was essentially designed to assist women in the deprived communities to acquire a broad based knowledge in beekeeping, as a means to assist the poor rural farmer. He congratulated the participants for being diligent and assiduous in every sector of the practical lessons, in spite of leaving their families behind.

Mr Madzi advised them to put the skills they had acquired to practice, to help them to supplement their income.

According to the Executive Director, the Movement provided 20 separate programmes for 850 members of ASCUM to benefit from. He noted that the programme, called 'Action Plan for 2008', was being achieved, and called on all participants to endeavour to practice what they had learnt to enhance their lot. They were taken through beekeeping, rudimentary stages of management, book-keeping and salesmanship.