The lack of economic and social empowerment among women is one of the most serious development issues facing Ghana today. To address this issue the Disaster Volunteers of Ghana (DIVOG) have designed a clothing and homewear production micro-enterprise project to give participant women an independent income, transferable income generating skills, leadership and management skills, and increased empowerment within their families and communities. A worker’s cooperative will be established to manage the micro-enterprise activities and to create a savings and credit scheme to assist participants and their families. The project plans to use existing local production and design techniques, including batik block designs methods, to produce fabric which will then be made into clothing and homewear products. It is anticipated that once established, the project will be self-sustaining due to profits from the sale of products on both local and international fair trade markets. Funding is sought to meet the initial set-up costs of the project. So I need the support of all to help in this fundrasing so that the project would benefit the women of tommorow.

DIVOG is a not-for-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organisation working to assist vulnerable, marginalised and poor groups and individuals in Ghanaian society. The organisation was founded by two young Ghanaians in 1997 and has developed into a group whose mission is to assist rural and urban dwellers in times of natural or man-made disasters by providing education, health, environment, women’s empowerment and cultural diversity projects.

Problem/Issue

As with many other countries, entrenched social, economic, legal and political discrimination in Ghana continues to oppresses women, leaving them dis-empowered and dis-enfranchised within their own communities. Women’s financial dependence on male partners and family members in particular severely limits their capacity to make their own life choices and protect themselves from physical and sexual and exposure to HIV/AIDS. This is especially the case for rural women with low education, skill levels and income.

However, a recognised means of empowering women is to enable them produce and control their own income. This reduces their financial dependence on men and increases their capacity to control their own lives and participate as equals in their families and communities.

Target group

Rural women in the Ho District of the Volta Region of Ghana who have low levels of empowerment, including those with low education, skill levels and incomes.