In Ghana where at least 30 percent of the population lives on less than 1US$ a day, it is obvious that the easiest way out of the poverty cycle is creativity. A group of women in the Ashanti Region and the Queen Mothers of Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana have taken their destinies into their own hands and are making a living through bead making.
The origins of bead making in Ghana are unknown, but the great majority of powder glass beads produced today are made by Ashanti and Krobo craftsmen and women. Krobo bead making has been documented to date from as early as the 1920s but despite limited archaeological evidence, it is believed that Ghanaian bead making dates further back. Bead making in Ghana was first documented by John Barbot in 1746. Beads still play important roles in Krobo society, be it in rituals of birth, coming of age, marriage, or death.
Discarded cassette tapes, plastic pens, cosmetics cream containers, and broken plastic buckets are the raw materials that these women scavenge to find to feed themselves and their children. Living in Moshie—an impoverished area of Kumasi—Amina is one of a group of Moslem women producing intricate pieces of costume jewellery from discarded pieces of plastic.
“My grandparents used to make beads from broken glass and I thought it may be an easier process using plastic,” says Amina, who saw the benefits of making and selling the jewellery and set up the beads project in 1983. “I started collecting plastic waste products from refuse dumps and melting them and molding them into prayer rosaries and decorative objects for household use. People became interested, I started to sell them, and as interest grew, a few other women joined me from the neighbourhood.”
These women after years of struggled for survival founded the Asaase Aban Beads Women’s Association and have since received help from the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) – an NGO that supports micro-enterprise projects.
The Manya Krobo Queen Mothers are the backbone of the many AIDS orphans in that insolvent community. With good support from the United States embassy in Accra, these women in authority are making strides in bead making especially with powder glass beads which are mostly used by royalty and on traditional occasions and have grown their business tremendously over the past decade.
The Executive Director of United Way Ghana Karen Shormeh Sai says these women have shown what a group of determined and organized women can do. “They work hard to take care of the deprived especially HIV/AIDS orphans and this is commendable”, she noted.
Earlier this year, United Way Ghana with support from its corporate partners launched a project as part of this year’s Day of Caring to build a resource center for the AIDS orphans in Manya Krobo. “The only way these woman can survive their business is when they receive support. UWG has decided to help by putting up a modern structure for these orphans whose up keep take a great chunk of the proceeds made by the Queen Mothers”, She said.
She added, “we at UWG are really impressed about the activities of these women and we will do our best to ensure their sustainability”.
In 2005, Asase Aban caught the attention of the President of the governing body of United Way Ghana after a fact finding mission designed to identify particular community projects needing UWG’s support.
“When we first went to visit them, they were housed in an unfinished building with no windows, one little door, and a storage closest that kept getting broken into. They didn’t have any lighting either, because the fixtures kept getting stolen,” UWG President Janet Butler said.
Janet’s visit put a much-needed spotlight on the inadequate and hazardous working conditions of the bead production process. The women were using broken pots and pans to melt the plastic over coals at high temperatures. This process inevitably exposed the women to toxic fumes on a daily basis.
It is here that UWG’s expertise in identifying the resource needs of NGOs and charities and matching them with appropriate stakeholders and donors was harnessed. UWG matched the association with a US donor. Their support and funds helped the association complete its building and secure the storage room.
The women’s productivity has improved thanks to access to lighting, which has allowed them to work late into the evening; earn more money; and support the upkeep of their children. The children also benefit as they can complete their homework in the comfort of a safe and secure environment.
The Asaase Aban Beads Women’s Association has since become a key agency in UWG’s portfolio and continues to receive volunteer and resource support during the organisation’s Calendar of Caring – UWG organised events staged throughout the year.
“The beads project holds a special place in my heart,” says Janet. “I have an interest in micro-enterprises and I know that if you have a micro-enterprise that allows women to become self-sufficient, it always impacts positively on the well being of their children.”
The beads are now being distributed internationally. Other decorative objects produced by the women include napkin holders, slippers, and hair bands.
UWG is a unique not-for-profit organization that seeks to create a society where each community is galvanized to identify and respond to the needs of its own. UWG has helped to build strong and empowered communities by bringing together public and private stakeholders and agencies to develop and implement strategies that improve their quality of life.
By: Selase Attah
