The Women's Cooperative

       Several months ago, I was approached by a Malagasy man from the capital who was helping a group of women in my village to form a cooperative in which they would produce and sell a medicinal plant that grows in our area of Madagascar. This fellow was apparently the contact point for buyers in Tana. He asked if I could help the women get all of their papers in order to file with the government so that they could become a legal cooperative and sell the raw plant as an association. As a cooperative, the women would have stronger bargaining power for the prices of the plants. This fellow also asked if I could help provide the women with the tools and materials that they would need in order to carry out this project now and for the years ahead. So, thanks to the generosity of so many people, I was able to provide these ladies with everything they needed: shovels, wheelbarrows, scythes, cooking pots for long days in the fields, etc,. The Malagasy name for the plant is "Ampelatsifotra" and it falls under the Desmodium genus. The plant is bought by buyers in Tana, then is sent overseas to be processed into medicines that help to treat such ailments as hepatitis A,B, and C, uteral cancer, and asthma. The cooperative is cultivating the plant in areas surrounding our rain forest that have previously been cut and burned for rice cultivation. The ladies are also starting to grow trees for our reforestation efforts.  Here are a few pictures of the work they are doing:

Thanks are particularly in order for the following individuals and groups!!

Mrs. Betty Shelton
Mrs. Sandy Haddad
Mrs. Helyn Keith
Mrs. Anne Spencer
Mrs. Judy McQueen
Mrs. Suzanne Rhea
Mrs. Roberta Parker
Mr. Willie and Mrs. Lucinda Williams
Mr. Rusty and Mrs. Kris Bliss

The Wesley Room Sunday School Class

The Pairs and Spares Sunday School Class