Taabosom(C/R), Aug. 4, GNA - A cassava grating machine worth 12 million cedis donated by two friends to Red-Cross Mothers' club at Abeadze Taabosom in the Central Region was commissioned at the weekend. The project, a pilot one, was the personal contribution of the two friends, Mr. Joseph Takyi Sam, a marine engineer, and Mr. Isaac Sam Cudjoe, a teacher to reduce poverty among women in the area. In a speech, Mr. Cudjoe said the project would be extended to other communities in the area and said the two had plans to establish a palm oil and kernel extraction industry in the area to ;help farmers to add value to their products. Grasscutter rearing, snail and mushroom farming would also be introduced to create employment for the youth, he said.

Mr. Takyi Sam advised the youth to erase the misconception some of them had that one could be successful in life only when one lived in the cities and urban towns. He said there was a lot of wealth in the rural areas and urged the youth to stay there and tap them. Mr. Vincent Biney Amissah, Mfantseman District Co-ordinator of the Ghana Red Cross Society who performed the inauguration, urged Ghanaians who were endowed with special gifts from God to use them to improve the living conditions of their fellow citizens. He advised the women to use the project to close their ranks towards the development of the area instead of engaging in petty squabbles among themselves.

Madam Grace Essel, regent of the town commended the donors and gave the assurance that it would be put to a good use. Miss Anastasia Fynn, the leader of the Red Cross Mother' club with a membership of 23, said the women had cultivated about one hectare of cassava farm and a one hectare pepper farm to generate funds to support members. She assured the donors that the machine would be regularly maintained to prolong its lifespan. 04 Aug. 2003