Ama, a successful beneficiary of Self-Help's micro-credit program in Ghana, has expanded her business to employ 40 more women, who are in need of business and group development training, micro-credit loans, improved safety measures, and better equipment and facilities to gain maximum benefit from the opportunity.
The palm oil processing facility established in 2012 has grown to employ 40 women. These women need to learn to negotiate fairly with buyers; they need microcredit loans for capital to buy palm fruit in bulk; they need safer stoves that are properly arranged, vented and under cover; they need additional equipment to increase processing capacity; they need a changing area; and they need electrical power installed.
Business/group development training will teach women to work together to get the best price for their products, microcredit loans will provide capital to reduce shipping costs by buying in bulk, improved stoves will be safely arranged and properly vented to prevent injury and smoke inhalation, additional equipment will increase processing capacity, allowing more women to work at a time, changing rooms will allow women to change oil-soaked clothes, and electricity is cheaper than diesel power.
This project is about more than economic development: it's about advancing human dignity. Women take pride in being able to send their children to bed well-fed in a decent home each night, and then off to school clothed in proper school uniforms each morning. Yes, we help them register for health insurance so one illness won't bankrupt them anymore. Yes, we help them open savings accounts at commercial banks so they can join the formal economy. But most of all, we create role models & leaders.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
