Mrs. Amopoaka Atule
is a member of the PWA, a women's cooperative
in one of Ghana's poorer regions, which is located in northern
Ghana.
Mama has chosen her to be the
first Cooperative Member of the Month due to her wonderful way
of handling a very difficult situation with dignity and grace.
The one thing that makes her such a fabulous woman to know is
the way that she keeps a smile on her face despite her living
the last 10 years with a serious physical handicap. Here is her
story...
Amopoaka Atule is a wonderful 45
year old woman who lives in the Bolgatanga region of northern
Ghana. She was born during the independence days of Ghana's history.
After marrying and raising 3 girls, she lost her husband 16 years
ago, while she was still quite young. This alone would have been
enough to make things difficult for her; but she managed to raise
her children alone.
The real drama occurred when she
mysteriously became paralyzed 10 years ago. Without any explaination
she felt as if she was "hit against a wall" as she explains
it; and she has had no use of her legs since. Despite this tragedy,
she continues to do her best to live an independent lifestyle.
After joining PWA in 1999, she
hoped that her talent for basket weaving could perhaps make her
a little more able to meet her daily needs. Despite the fact that
life is still difficult, she is known by other cooperative members
for her positive attitude and gracious presence. The other members
of the cooperative stop by to see if she has any baskets ready
to sell at the market, and they carry them there for her. She
also has customers who try to come by when they can to check up
on her.
Unfortunately though, those are
the only times that she is blessed with good company and someone
who can lend her a helping hand. The sad reality is that Ms Atule
has noone at home who can help her to care for herself. Although
she would willingly invite one of her younger family members to
live with her so that they could offer her assistance with her
daily living needs; she is not financially able to feed anyone
other than herself.
Mrs. Atule has shared two of
her dearest wishes with Mama:
-
To be able to
one day afford a wheelchair so that she no longer has to crawl
around her home. She told Mama that the most wonderful thing
she can imagine in having a wheelchair one day would be to be
able to attend church,visit family and friends as well as attend
funerals (funerals hold a very great cultural significance in
Ghana).
- Her other hope is to have necessary
repairs made to her one-room house. Presently she has an incredibly
difficult time during the rainy season because her roof leaks
badly. Her wish is to one day be able to make the necessary repairs
to her home so that she can live comfortably despite her other
hardships in life.
There are two ways that you can help
Amopoaka Atule achieve her goals for herself.
Firstly, you are welcome to make
a donation which Mama Afrika will pass along directly to her with
great joy.
Secondly, take a look at the basketry
products which come from Ghana, they are all made by the Progressive
Women's Association and will help women like Amopoaka build better
futures for themselves in the most dignified way possible: by
earning it through their beautiful craftwork.
Mama is pleased that you have gotten
to know her friend Amopoaka a little better. She and other women
like her are the reason Mama is so inspired to do what she does!
And remember... you will
have the chance to meet other of Mama's friends, so stop in again
to say hello. And in the event that you would like to send a note
of encouragement to Amopoaka, just e-mail
Mama Afrika and she'll be happy to pass your message along!
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