Entry: Bill Guyton
Last Wednesday, I was invited to Morgan State University to speak about cocoa sustainability in West Africa. For those unfamiliar with Morgan State, it is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1867, its original mission of training young men for the ministry was later broadened to educate both men and women as teachers. Today, Morgan State is a public university offering courses in a variety of disciplines.
Joining me for the presentation were Ms. Welma Redd and Mr. Kwame Clement from the African World TV who shared their video entitled Teaching Skills, Improving Lives. Our audience included faculty and students who after hearing our introductions, asked several questions about farming and marketing of cocoa in West Africa. One of the students was from Ghana and mentioned that one of the largest obstacles for farmers is the poor road infrastructure to farming communities. Another student asked how improved incomes were impacting communities. Does this translate into better housing? Increases in education/school attendance? Better access to health services? Through various programs supported by the World Cocoa Foundation and our partners, we are beginning to track changes overtime in cocoa communities.
We hope to return to Morgan State University in the Fall of 2008 to provide an update to interested students and faculty on the programs. We will also look for opportunities for faculty and students to become more actively involved in efforts supported by the World Cocoa Foundation.