Description and Impact

As woman, it is especially hard in Ghana’s society to make a living and sustain oneself and family. This difficulty is significantly compounded when you are a woman with special needs or suffer from some type of learning disability.  There are very few services that empower woman and provide them with the necessary vocational skills to become self-reliant. Of all the marginalized groups in Ghana, woman with special needs are some of the most “forgotten” and over-looked.  

What is the overall goal of the project? This organization teaches woman with special needs basic sewing techniques and design skills; creating patchwork bags and headbands.  These handbags and headbands are then sold to tourists; generating income for the woman and giving the organization means to grow and improve their services.  Much of Ghana’s society trivializes people with disabilities and truly believes that they don’t have the capability of learning new skills.  This organization proves otherwise and has been quite successful.   Not only does it give these woman skills that will generate income for them and their families, but also is a living example of what can be achieved if you give people a chance to prove themselves. Due to the fact that most of the teachers and assistants involved with this project have no formal education in business, marketing or finance it has been extremely challenging to make a profit from these bags.  The goal is to have volunteers and interns with a background in any of those skills to help establish a system that is sustainable and beneficial for all.