Fiona
What does life as a woman or girl look like in your country/city/town/village?Any issues/challenges/milestones?
Life in Ghana as a woman depends on you. You have to take a decision - a decision well thought of let me put it that way. Education is necessary in Ghana but there are resources available for us to have side jobs while going to school. We mostly concentrate on just the education aspect because everyone wants to become a lawyer (like I want to be) or a doctor, banker, etc..
What would you like the world to know about YOU? What life experience, challenge or achievement do you want to share?
I am 22 years old, I started selling shea butter, African black soap, coconut oil, cocoa butter and other products a year ago, while in university and I’m still there. It wasn’t easy when I started, the demand for the products were there but shipping was a challenge, to get an accurate shipping quote, and sometimes shipping was more expensive than the product being bought, so customers mostly stopped purchasing. I was doing this alone because African parents, especially in Ghana, only believe in education.
I needed advice and I needed ideas but there was nobody. I needed exposure from people with a lot of followers on Instagram but most of them were asking for money which I didn’t have as a start up business, so I searched for companies on the internet, and wrote proposals. Some responded, others didn’t. Today, I only have 800 Instagram followers but I’m about to ship a 20ft container to China. I never thought I would come this far, God has been my only support. If you decide to do something, make an effort so if it doesn’t work at least you tried, if it works good for you.
I almost got duped by a person who claimed was a Ghanaian in UK and wanted to help me sell there but I was able to run from it by God's grace. I started with 50GH Cedis.
What are you most passionate about and what are you doing with that passion?
I’m most passionate about mothers and kids. I’ve started buying things to donate to a public school in my city which I visited. I sat with them in the class the whole day. I’ve also visited women who make bentonite clay. Whenever I have an order, they work on it so that they earn from there.
How have the women and girls around you helped you to get to where you are today?
The women and girls have helped me because I feel like I am responsible for them and I need to work hard so that they go to school. I don’t want the kids to drop out of school and I don’t want the women to be paupers.
Complete this sentence: "To be a girl or woman today, is to be..."
Ambitious.