01 Mar Supporting economic opportunities for women with disabilities in Ghana
HerStart participant Azara Ibrahim joins the training graduation ceremony in Tamale, Ghana
Women with disabilities in Ghana represent a marginalized group whose access to economic opportunities is often severely restricted. Through intentional planning and outreach to communities of people with disabilities, YCI’s HerStart program has been able to provide young women with entrepreneurship skills, confidence, mentorship and business development resources to support their business journey.
According to the 2021 Population Housing and Census, persons with disabilities make up eight percent of Ghana’s population (more than two million people), yet very little is done to provide these groups of people with sustainable economic opportunities. People with disabilities, especially women, are often unable to pursue economic opportunities due to a lack of access to information, a lower level of education, poor access to resources and mobility aids, and a lack of targeted interventions tailored to their needs. Though their business ideas may be strong, for the women that are able to start a business, there is still limited support for them to grow. The YCI HerStart Ghana team recognized the ability of the HerStart program to fulfill the need for accessible programming and support these young women to realize their potential in sustainable entrepreneurship.
Because additional specialized resources and planning are required to appropriately and effectively engage people with disabilities, the YCI Ghana team embarked on a series of co-design meetings with the Ghana Society of Persons with Disabilities (GSPD) about how the training could benefit women with disabilities and what special considerations would be needed to ensure the training was inclusive and accessible. The GSPD was able to provide an accessible space to train participants for the social entrepreneurship curriculum, which was also closer to the centre of town to facilitate their transportation.
15 women with physical disabilities and two young women guides of physically disabled women participated in HerStart’s Sparking Social Innovation (SSI) training in collaboration with the Ghana Society of Persons with Disabilities, implemented by Norsaac and YCI. Participants were introduced to social entrepreneurship concepts and prompted to consider how they could start their own business, generate a sustainable income and have a positive impact on their communities.
“The Herstart program has been the best training I have participated in. I have attended some trainings in the past but this has enabled me to start a business by researching, keeping records and innovating on my product. This has been beneficial to me as a person with disability. I did not not know that I could be integrated into YCI programming but they allow all kind of persons to be trained in order to handle my business. We were equally treated as the abled people. I felt motivated and confident to be part of the training because I was not discriminated.”
– Florence Anaba, who started a business making beaded bags, sandals and key holders
Engaging women with physical disabilities in HerStart trainings has boosted their confidence interacting with program staff and increased their knowledge on how to manage their businesses. At the first training, participants were reserved and not interactive, but after several days of meeting they began opening up to trainers and talking to them about the ideas they are passionate about. The HerStart team also gained experience and knowledge on how best to implement trainings by understanding the challenges women with disabilities face and designing solutions that better support them. For instance, the team energizers that are normally done standing were adapted to be done seated, and participants were provided with additional encouragement to overcome a lack of confidence to speak about their business ideas and receive feedback.
“We had the chance to interact, share ideas and make new friends to promote our businesses. We enjoyed the training sessions because YCI and partners understand the needs of people living with physical disabilities. They made available convenient and accessible training centers and also their facilitators kept encouraging and motivating us throughout the training sessions. With YCI, we are all equal. Before the training I had very little knowledge about innovation, basic computing skills, researching and social enterprises that solve social, economic and environmental problems in my community whilst making money. I recommend the training to every young lady living with physical disabilities to take part in the YCI HerStart life–changing program to empower their lives.“
– Asana Salifu, who started a business processing melon seeds into powder
The team will continue to explore solutions to barriers for young women with physical disabilities participating in the program. For example, transportation to the training centre was more difficult for those with physical disabilities, as they have to carry wheelchairs or other devices. The team will also continue discussions with organizations who may be able to provide training supports, such as interpretation, for a reduced or low cost. This way, more marginalized young women can have an opportunity to explore social entrepreneurship as a source of livelihood and solution for the challenges their communities are facing.
Curious about international volunteer opportunities with YCI? Learn more about YCI’s HerStart Fellowships for Canadians of all ages to contribute their skills and gain experience while collaborating with women and global partners to drive social entrepreneurship and gender equality.