In June 2022, Dreams Arise Ghana commenced the first cohort of an in-house skills-based training programme. We designed a simple and engaging programme to train 15 young people between the ages of 18 to 25 in the Ada community to learn how to make different kinds of bags and bead jewellery.

This was a three-month training intended to empower participants with an income-generating skill.

When we developed the idea for this program, we had very little resources. We decided to think of ways to deliver this project with limited resources and yet produce the desired results.

So we did the following:

• Contacted fashion houses to get cut-off fabrics to use in making the bags
• Repaired a sewing machine belonging to our CEO to be used alongside that belonging to our trainer(Doreen Tetteh-Fio)
• Lent three tables and 6 chairs from our CEO’s aunt (because the lounge had only 5 chairs and no tables at the time)

Our Trainer was a student in a technical university in Ghana who was home on break at the time. She delivered this training as a volunteer to Dreams Arise Ghana. It is also good to note that the training was offered to participants at no fee.

In the end, we were excited to have trained nine young women. These women have learnt to make tote bags, school bags, purses, bead bags and bead jewellery. We are more impressed to see how some of the participants initially started producing bags to be sold in their local communities. The women we engaged are young mothers with either 2 or 1 children, excluding one. Those who were employed were not generating substantial revenue while the others were not employed

Even though this project has birthed other interesting ideas. We are seeking partnership to implement them. The below are our ideas.

• We plan on starting another cohort soon, to train more youth, we have actually been receiving calls from people wanting to join the next training.
• We want to add on to the training by teaching them to produce handmade batik and tye and dye fabrics.
• We would like to set these women up for business. By providing them with a sowing starter pack. Additionally, we’d need to connect them to an active market where they can sell their product. We’d need support on many levels to do so.

How can you support us?

• Donate towards this project
• Connect us to donor organizations
• Connect us to a market which can serve our women

Kindly contact us on dreamsariseghana24@gmail.com. Let’s join hands to make impact.