Residents of Tsremati Yoyim a farming community in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of the Eastern region have defied the ban on public gathering and social distancing directive by demonstrating over the poor roads in the community which they say is affecting agriculture activities in the area.
The residents say the poor roads in the community have also affected the extension of electricity, healthcare and schools to the community.
The action of the peasant farmers was caused by the sudden death of a young girl who was critically ill in the community. The girl died while being rushed to the hospital on foot.
The girl Mavis Tetteh died while being carried at the back of some men in the community who were rushing her to the hospital through the deplorable mountainous route.
The deceased girl was suffering from severe abdominal pains. She has since been buried
According to the residents, governments have left the community dejected to wallow in abject poverty. The community has no safe water, road, electricity, school, health facility among others. School children continue to learn under mango trees since the collapse of the mud made school building ten years ago in the community.
Tsremati Yoyim together with neighbouring farming communities such as Kokofu, Wrekonya, Dorguanor with total Population of about 6,000 forms part of the food basket of the municipality, but there is no road network linking the communities to the market centres. Farm produce such as vegetables, cassava, plantain mostly rot in the bush.
Farmers, particularly Women and Children, carry on their heads, farm produce through bushes to descend a high rocky mountain to market centres to sell for income.
“We grow everything in this community but we don’t have a road. It is extremely difficult to send food to Nkurakan market. We have to carry everything on our heads to the market. Because we carry to descend the mountain we leave many on the farm if you don’t have money to hire people to carry. We are indeed suffering. We believe if we get road our school would be built, the health centre will come, and electricity” Isaac Kwasi Amanor, an opinion leader told Starr News
Pregnant women in labour and the critically ill are carried in a locally made cloth and wooden stretcher to the hospital.
“Women and Children in this community are feeling the brunt of lack of road. When you are in labour or sick, you are carried on Akpasa (a locally made stretcher) to descend this rocky mountain before you can access healthcare. In fact, we have lost many pregnant women and sick people in this community.politicians have always been deceiving us to vote for them but after voting they don’t fulfil their promise to us. This year, we are not going to vote.No road no vote”.Vida Dede, a farmer said.
The lack of road to the communities has discouraged the youth who have ditched farming and migrated to urban areas in search of jobs. Others who chose to stay have veered into bead making to make ends meet.
The youth say they will violently resist politicians from campaigning in the area if the problems are not fixed.
“This year, we have declared war against politicians. Nobody should come here to campaign if our road is not constructed. We the youth have resolved to violently resist anyone from campaigning here. Because of the absence of roads, most of the youth have stopped farming and have left to cities doing buy and sell while there is fertile lands here,” one of the youth fumed.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Kojo Ansah
