Yassah's Sisters Livelihood Program
Connected from Louisiana USA to Liberia, West Africa
To know Yassah's Sisters, you must first know a bit about Yassah Ford. Yassah is a native of Liberia, Africa, a developing African country recovering from a violent civil war. Conditions in the country are desperate for many, as it often ranks as one of the world's poorest countries. Life expectancy hovers around 45 years old, infant mortality rates average 15% and many of the populace remains uneducated.
Yassah’s Sisters was formed by a group of Lafayette women in collaboration with Change Agent Network to support the numerous single mothers in Liberia who have difficulty feeding their children. In this pay-it-forward program, a woman receives a machete, hoe and ax and bags of peanuts, rice, beans, corn and okra seeds for planting. After harvest they pay forward a bag and a half of seeds to the next woman.
Note:
- Each family needs 2 machetes, 2 hoes, 1 ax and 1 bag of seeds
- Complete package price: $110-$160. Donation for single item purchases are welcome!
- Please make checks payable to Change Agent Network and write "Yassah's Sisters" in the memo section of the check.
EQUIPMENT BAGS OF SEEDS
| Item | Price | Item | Price |
| Machete | $15 | Peanuts | $100 |
| Hoe | $10 | Beans | $100 |
| Ax | $10 | Corn | $60 |
| Rice | $50 | ||
| Okra | $50 |
Yassah's Sisters are reaching out, providing a lifeline to Yassah's efforts and making a public statement that we are all connected and responsible for each other. The sisterhood meets regularly to discuss Yassah's pressing needs and ways those needs can be met.
Already the group, working in conjunction with the Liberian relief organization Change Agent Network (CAN), has sent farming supplies and monetary donations. The team is also working to build a system of micro-loans, a powerful way to build economies in struggling areas.
Launching The Project in Zuwulo Town, Lofa County Liberia 2010
In December 2010, Eric Wowoh who is the Executive Director of Change Agent Network traveled to Zuwulo Town in the Zorzor District area of Lofa Country Liberia to meet with Yassah Ford and her team. The purpose of his trip was to jump-start the Yassah’s Sisters Livelihood Program.
Zuwulo is Yassah’s home town and it has a population of 3,550 people. Total number of women in the town stands at 2,000. Children under five (5) years stand at 1,045 and children from the ages of 5-18 years are estimated at 985.
Please stay in touch to get updated on the progress of this worthy cause in the days ahead.
Below are pictures of the Launching of the Yassah’s Sisters Livelihood Program in Zuwulo Town, Lofa County, Liberia West Africa.
Join the Sisterhood
- To learn more about this movement and participate in the Yassah's Sisters global community, please contact Fran Clarke (337-235-1261) or Karen Wiley (337-278-8885)
- Browse our Interactive Calendar to see upcoming Yassah's Sisters community events
- Joining us for a meeting? Click here for a map to Karen Wiley's Country Cottage, where many Yassah's Sisters events are held. You'll be taken to a Google Maps page where you can get directions and print a map.