Vision & Mission
CEWEFIA’s vision is to liberate the rural poor from indignity and oppression of their knowledge, eliminate hunger and poverty, economic injustice and inferiority complex, illiteracy etc upholding their dignity, sense of belonging and ownership and build self-sufficiency and sustainable development.
Our Mission is to:
(1) To help to improve the socio-economic status of rural poor especially fishmongers and women farmers and the well-being of their children and the rural community as a whole.
(2) To empower rural poor especially fishmongers and women farmers to be able to improve upon their standard of living through sustainable integrated developmental projects and programs.
(3) To help improve Fish and Agro processing in order to increase incomes of rural women and assure food security in Ghana.
(4) To mobilize and organize the fishmongers and women farmers into viable groups and cooperatives in its areas of operation.
(5) To build the capacity of female fish processors and women famers to increase fish and food production.
(6) To build the capacity of the fishmongers and women farmers by increasing their knowledge base in appropriate modern fish processing.
(7) To encourage fishmongers to engage in appropriate improved fish processing by using energy efficient and environmentally friendly fish smoking technology.
(8) To help improve the financial management and marketing skills of fishmongers and agro processors
(9) To promote networking among fishmongers and women farmers
(10) To undertake community education to create awareness on environmental hygiene and sanitation
(11) To educate fishmongers and women farmers to maintain a clean, safe and pleasant physical environment under which they work.
(12) To promote functional literacy among rural women to free themselves from indignity and oppression of knowledge and from inferiority complex.
(13) To play an advocacy role on behalf of women on issues that affect their socio-economic status in society.
(14) To facilitate the improvement of Reproductive Health Rights among women and children
(15) To help improve the nutritional status of rural women and their children
(16) To play an advocacy role on young women and adolescent girls on their Reproductive Health Rights, Human Rights and other policies that affect their social economic status.
(17) To promote and provide Vocational Skills training to girls and young women especially single- mothers and school drop-outs.
(18) To promote Early Childhood Development and Girl- Child Education.
(19)To research into issues affecting women and adolescent boys and girls in its project communities
TARGET POPULATION: CEWEFIA works with women, Children, the Youth, Street Children, Commercial Sex Workers, PLHIV, PLAIDs, AIDs Orphans and Adolescents, orphans, women of Reproductive age (WRA), Fishmongers, Women farmers, Single Parents and Mothers.
Our Mission is to:
(1) To help to improve the socio-economic status of rural poor especially fishmongers and women farmers and the well-being of their children and the rural community as a whole.
(2) To empower rural poor especially fishmongers and women farmers to be able to improve upon their standard of living through sustainable integrated developmental projects and programs.
(3) To help improve Fish and Agro processing in order to increase incomes of rural women and assure food security in Ghana.
(4) To mobilize and organize the fishmongers and women farmers into viable groups and cooperatives in its areas of operation.
(5) To build the capacity of female fish processors and women famers to increase fish and food production.
(6) To build the capacity of the fishmongers and women farmers by increasing their knowledge base in appropriate modern fish processing.
(7) To encourage fishmongers to engage in appropriate improved fish processing by using energy efficient and environmentally friendly fish smoking technology.
(8) To help improve the financial management and marketing skills of fishmongers and agro processors
(9) To promote networking among fishmongers and women farmers
(10) To undertake community education to create awareness on environmental hygiene and sanitation
(11) To educate fishmongers and women farmers to maintain a clean, safe and pleasant physical environment under which they work.
(12) To promote functional literacy among rural women to free themselves from indignity and oppression of knowledge and from inferiority complex.
(13) To play an advocacy role on behalf of women on issues that affect their socio-economic status in society.
(14) To facilitate the improvement of Reproductive Health Rights among women and children
(15) To help improve the nutritional status of rural women and their children
(16) To play an advocacy role on young women and adolescent girls on their Reproductive Health Rights, Human Rights and other policies that affect their social economic status.
(17) To promote and provide Vocational Skills training to girls and young women especially single- mothers and school drop-outs.
(18) To promote Early Childhood Development and Girl- Child Education.
(19)To research into issues affecting women and adolescent boys and girls in its project communities
TARGET POPULATION: CEWEFIA works with women, Children, the Youth, Street Children, Commercial Sex Workers, PLHIV, PLAIDs, AIDs Orphans and Adolescents, orphans, women of Reproductive age (WRA), Fishmongers, Women farmers, Single Parents and Mothers.
Historical Background of CEWEFIA
CEWEFIA was formed and inaugurated in March 1990 by Mrs. Victoria Churchill Koomson after the displacement of 54 fishmongers whose mud ovens were destroyed as a result of rehabilitating the Ghana Railway Corporation’s Station in Sekondi in the Western Region of Ghana. They were 154 in all. The fishmongers immediately sought help from Mrs. Victoria Churchill Koomson who always visited them at the said processing site and offered various forms of assistance to them and their children. She did not hesitate to come out with a solution because she had always thought of their possible ejection and had earmarked a suitable and a right and preferable place for them.
In her effort to acquire a suitable plot of land for the displaced women, she made a passionate appeal to the late Nana Nkatsia IV the then Paramount Chief of Essikadu in the Western Region of Ghana. Nana welcomed the appeal passionately and immediately added more plots to the land already earmarked by her. He said the land could be stretched from the valley to the old Essikadu Cemetery so that all the disadvantaged women would have a share of the plots. Efforts were also made by her to organize for the provision of potable water (pipe-stand), a bath house and electricity to help the women work effectively and in a healthy environment.
Moreover, when the Ports and Harbours Authority were in the process of building a Fishing Harbour in Sekondi, their demarcation included the area CEWEFIA women had developed and were occupying and using there for their fish processing activities.
The Ports and Harbours Authority which lacked information about the effort CEWEFIA had put in to develop the area, ejected the occupants, (very vibrant fishmongers). The fishmongers in that situation cried out against their ejection to their founder Mrs. Victoria Churchill Koomson who had been away for almost two weeks. On hearing the news, she quickly returned home to see to their plight.
She, with the greatest passion, ran to the Authority and sorted it out with the JICA Agency who had been charged with the responsibility to construct the Fishing Harbour.
An alternate piece of land was sought from the Ngyiresia chief and his elders for JICA to re-locate the wailing CEWEFIA members. In all, fifty- four (54) fish processing stalls were built for the affected 54 members. The fifty- four (54) stalls and the utilities attached were handed over to Mrs. Victoria Churchill Koomson the founder and Executive Director of CEWEFIA by the then Regional Minister Mrs. Lily Nkansah and the Ports and Harbours Authority after the JICA Management had inspected the place.
Through her efforts, the Sekondi women were also able to get assistance in the form of a loan to improve upon their fish processing business.
As a result of her hard working activities with the Sekondi women, the fishmongers in the Central Region (Moree, Ekon, Ayisa, and Bantoma) also invited her to extend her technology to them and both groups worked together and exchanged ideas and experiences, hence, the name Central and Western Fishmongers Improvement Association (CEWEFIA) of Ghana.
In her effort to acquire a suitable plot of land for the displaced women, she made a passionate appeal to the late Nana Nkatsia IV the then Paramount Chief of Essikadu in the Western Region of Ghana. Nana welcomed the appeal passionately and immediately added more plots to the land already earmarked by her. He said the land could be stretched from the valley to the old Essikadu Cemetery so that all the disadvantaged women would have a share of the plots. Efforts were also made by her to organize for the provision of potable water (pipe-stand), a bath house and electricity to help the women work effectively and in a healthy environment.
Moreover, when the Ports and Harbours Authority were in the process of building a Fishing Harbour in Sekondi, their demarcation included the area CEWEFIA women had developed and were occupying and using there for their fish processing activities.
The Ports and Harbours Authority which lacked information about the effort CEWEFIA had put in to develop the area, ejected the occupants, (very vibrant fishmongers). The fishmongers in that situation cried out against their ejection to their founder Mrs. Victoria Churchill Koomson who had been away for almost two weeks. On hearing the news, she quickly returned home to see to their plight.
She, with the greatest passion, ran to the Authority and sorted it out with the JICA Agency who had been charged with the responsibility to construct the Fishing Harbour.
An alternate piece of land was sought from the Ngyiresia chief and his elders for JICA to re-locate the wailing CEWEFIA members. In all, fifty- four (54) fish processing stalls were built for the affected 54 members. The fifty- four (54) stalls and the utilities attached were handed over to Mrs. Victoria Churchill Koomson the founder and Executive Director of CEWEFIA by the then Regional Minister Mrs. Lily Nkansah and the Ports and Harbours Authority after the JICA Management had inspected the place.
Through her efforts, the Sekondi women were also able to get assistance in the form of a loan to improve upon their fish processing business.
As a result of her hard working activities with the Sekondi women, the fishmongers in the Central Region (Moree, Ekon, Ayisa, and Bantoma) also invited her to extend her technology to them and both groups worked together and exchanged ideas and experiences, hence, the name Central and Western Fishmongers Improvement Association (CEWEFIA) of Ghana.