Current Projects and Status of Development

THE NEW SEED INTERNATIONAL CENTER IN SOKODE, VOLTA REGION
New Seed International, Ghana, in collation with NSI USA and Solace International has now seen the construction of the New Seed International HIV/AIDS Care Center completed. This care center includes a clinic and nursery, with hopes of building an orphanage soon.

The Clinic
The Present
The clinic construction is complete. Currently, the plan is for the facility to be a Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm clinic. The clinic will provide care for patients who need basic day care, but cannot afford to be admitted to the hospital. Although we wish this could be a free clinic, we must unfortunately ask clients to pay for the materials used only. All staff salaries and other financial needs of the clinic will be paid by NSI Ghana, NSI USA and Solace International. Part of this financial support will come from our income generating businesses (see below).

Plans for the Future
Currently, we do not have the funds to be able to staff a 24-7 facility. Our hope for the future is that with additional funds we will be able to become a 24-7 Palliative Care Facility. This facility is and will be for HIV/AIDS patients only. As yet, no palliative care center exists in Ghana. As the first of its kind, we hope our clinic can provide family and friends of those infected with HIV/AIDS with a place to bring a loved one who needs additional care that cannot be provided in the home. Teaming with local churches and spiritual care advisors in the community, we hope to incorporate all aspects of end of life care, meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our patients.

The Nursery
The Present
The Clinic was Stage I of the building project at Sokode, and the Nursery is Stage II. With Stage I complete, Stage II is currently underway. Our hope is that the construction will be completed and the Nursery will officially open by December 2007.

Plans for the Future

The Orphanage
The Present
Currently, fundraising is underway for the Orphanage. The orphanage will be built next to the Nursery on the 10-acre lot at the New Seed International Care Center in Sokode.

Plans for the Future
The Orphanage is our next step in serving the patients of New Seed International. Many children in the community have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. With this harsh reality, we realized that in order to better serve the Volta Region we needed to establish a place for all the children affected by the disease. Both those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS will be able to find a home in the New Seed International clinic. While we will continue to encourage the family to care for these children, unfortunately that does not always work (especially when many generations in the family are infected with HIV/AIDS).

The details of the orphanage are still being discussed and a more precise plan will be finalized before construction begins.

INCOME GENERATING BUSINESSES
Our hope is that the New Seed International Care Center at Sokode will become self-sustainable financially. In order to ensure this, we have established six income-generating businesses to provide financial support to the activities of the Center. All proceeds will go towards funds needed to sustain the New Seed International Care Center in Sokode.

Kente Weaving
The Present
Currently, we are working with a Kente Weaver in Ho. With an agreement through contract, he has taken specific Kente Orders and completed them for distribution in the United States (the family and friends of volunteers). We buy them for a reasonable price, and then sell to individuals to make a profit for New Seed International (deposited into the New Seed International USA account). These orders were placed to get the Kente Weaving business started.
A contract with the kente weaver has been created (see My Documents- New Seed- Contracts- kente weaver for more information). Our contract states that for an increased price he will complete the orders while training HIV+ workers how to kente weave. We are currently looking for HIV+ individuals who will work with this kente weaver in order to make a living for themselves, allowing them to pay for their own medical bills.
We have searched for international buyers, but unfortunately have been unsuccessful so far (We worked with Worldstock but unfortunately the cost to make the kente cloth would be greater than the value they could be able to buy it from us).

Plans for the Future
We hope to continue to search for international buyers who may be interested in buying/selling our Kente Cloth. We also will continue to search for HIV+ individuals who will want to be trained as kente weavers. We will also begin to sell finished products in the local market in Ghana.
Note: it is important to inform potential international buyers that this product will be made by HIV+ individuals.

Batik
The Present
Currently, the batik project has not started.

Plans for the Future
We hope to produce Batik cloth that will be able to be sold locally as well as internationally. We plan that this will be a job for HIV+ men and women to help pay for monthly antiretroviral therapy and any other necessary medical treatment. Once we have some finished products, we will begin to contact potential international buyers.
Note: it is important to inform potential international buyers that this product will be made by HIV+ individuals.

Sewing
The Present
Currently, the sewing project has not started.

Plans for the Future
We hope to start a sewing business for HIV+ women to work and train other HIV+ women in through an apprenticeship. With this business, we will sew clothes for local and international markets out of traditional cloth (especially from the batik business above).
Note: it is important to inform potential international buyers that this product will be made by HIV+ individuals.

Farming- Chili Peppers
The Present
The chili pepper farming began in the early summer of 2007. Currently, there is a potential international buyer in China. We are also working on selling the product locally. A contract with the chili pepper farmers has been established (see My Documents- New Seed- Contracts- Chili Peppers for more information).

Plans for the Future
We hope that with continued efforts by staff and volunteers we can find an international buyer. Until that occurs, we will continue to find ways to sell the crop locally.

Farming- Okra
The Present
The okra farming began in the late spring of 2007. Most of the okra crop is grown in Kpando, a village about an hour outside of Ho. The okra is grown on individual farms- the seed and fertilizer is paid for by New Seed, and the farmers grow the crop. The profits are then split 50-50 (see My Documents- New Seed- Contracts- Okra Farmers for more information). The crop is currently sold internationally through a contact woman in Accra. The crop is suppose to be brought to her every Tuesday and Saturday morning in order to be packaged and put on a plan that evening.
Unfortunately, there have been some difficulties with the Okra farmers and the product has not been acceptable- either because it is rotten or overgrown, or because it is not brought to Ho by the designated time in order to get it to Accra for shipment.

Plans for the Future
We hope to improve the relationship with the okra farmers and begin to produce a more suitable product for sale. Hopefully, we will soon have mass production of the product and be able to get the crop to Accra for shipment every Tuesday and Saturday.

Farming- Eggplant
The Present
Currently, the eggplant farming has not started.

Plans for the Future
We hope to start the eggplant farming soon. This would entail buying the seed, hiring farmers, and paying for all necessary fertilizers and other equipment needed for the farm (we already have land). Once the eggplant is harvested, we hope to find local and international buyers in order to generate a strong income to be placed back into the eggplant farming which leads to more money for the Sokode Center.

Poultry Project
The Present
Currently, the poultry farming has not started.

Plans for the Future
Our plan is to start a poultry business for local market sales. Further decisions need to be made and equipment purchased before this project can begin.

Grasscutter Project
The Present
Currently, the grasscutter farming has not started.

Plans for the Future
Grasscutter is a rodent that is eaten here in Ghana (people eat it similarly to how they would a chicken). Grasscutter is found in wooded areas and trees are currently burned down solely for the purpose of killing grasscutters to be sold. To preserve trees and develop an income generating business, Solace strongly advocates for this grasscutter project. Further research needs to be completed before it will begin (hopefully in the fall of 2007).