Othello seeks help for Wulensi

OTHELLO — Othello is working to send farm equipment to their sister city Wulensi, Ghana, in Africa, but lack the funding for shipping.

They are turning to the community for help.

Othello and Wulensi began a sister city partnership in an effort to learn  about and help each other. Community leaders in Othello are working to improve irrigation in Wulensi to improve their agriculture and eventually boost their economy and bring them prosperity.

They hope to raise enough funding to ship farm equipment, computers and bicycles to Wulensi within the next 60 days, said sister city representative Rick Morris.

“We’re going to have to do this ourselves as a community,” he said.

The group is still calculating shipping costs but they estimate it to be between $4,000 and $7,000.

The equipment will be trucked from Othello to Seattle in a large shipping container. From there it will be transported by sea to Europe and then to Africa. It will be trucked into Wulensi from the shore.

The shipping cost was unexpected.The group tried to find a government program to assist but there are none available to help with Africa. Other forms of shipping were considered but were not viable.

The equipment donated by Othello includes a small tractor with tool bar, shanks and other tools so it can be used several different ways. They are also sending computers and bicycles.

Sister city representative Timm Taff said transportation is usually by bicycle or foot. Often times they walk between one and eight miles per day to get to work. They hope the bicycles will ease their travel and help with efficiency.

The computers will be used by Wulensi students, he said. Many of them have only seen a computer but never used one, yet they are able to explain how it works and can identify all the parts, he said.

They are also working with the Othello School District to possibly send used text books to the students, said Taff. The students speak and read English so the text books could be useful.

Taff said the organization is working to slowly introduce technology to Wulensi to help the village with the implementation of the tractor.

They do all farming by hand, which includes, digging, planting and harvesting, he said.

The tractor will help them to be more efficient and possibly expand their crops, which are primarily yams, corn, potatoes and onions, said Mayor Shannon McKay.

Currently the farm workers harvest the yams, take them to market and eventually find themselves buying them back for more than they sold them due to the lack of storage to keep the food fresh, he said.

Eventually the volunteers in Othello hope to help them in building agriculture storage units so the vegetables can be kept longer.

They are implementing an irrigation system for the crop area, McKay said. They have 300 acres of designated farm land for the irrigation program. They are mounting power poles and implementing electricity to move the water throughout the area.

They depend on two and half months of rainy weather for their crops. The irrigation system will help expand their harvest and planting season.

To make a donation to help ship the equipment to Wulensi, a check can be given to the Nazarene Church located on E. Ash Street. The check should state it is for the sister city program.

The church is collecting funds while the sister city program awaits non-profit status.

The donations on behalf of the church are tax deductible.

To lead a fund-raiser, contact Morris at 509-855-6685 or Taff at 509-760-8746 or timm.taff@gmail.com.