Supporting economic opportunities for women with disabilities in Ghana

Women living 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 living with disabilities with the entrepreneurship skills, confidence, mentorship and business development resources required 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 living 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 Ghana team recognized that the HerStart program could help address the gaps in accessible programming for young women to become successful social entrepreneurs.

Additional specialized resources and planning are required to ensure the full participation of people living with different abilities. Knowing this, the YCI Ghana team embarked on a series of collaborative meetings with the Ghana Society of Persons with Disabilities (GSPD) to explore how HerStart trainings could benefit women with disabilities and what special considerations would be needed to ensure inclusivity and accessibility. As a result of this connection, a partnership was born – the GSPD provided an accessible space for the HerStart social entrepreneurship training program, which also eased transportation barriers as it was located closer to the centre of the community.

As a result of these efforts, fifteen women with physical disabilities and two young women guides of physically disabled women participated in HerStart’s Sparking Social Innovation (SPARK) training in collaboration with the Ghana Society of Persons with Disabilities; these sessions were jointly implemented by both Youth Challenge International and our partner organization, Norsaac. During SEED trainings, young women learn the basics of social entrepreneurship concepts and start considering starting or scaling their own business that would both 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

Women living with physical disabilities who were engaged in HerStart trainings have reported a boosted sense of confidence and increased business management knowledge. Staff on site reported that even within the span of a few days of training, participants went from being reserved and not very interactive, to actively and ethnusiastically sharing the ideas they are passionate about. At the same time, the YCI and Norsaac teams gained experience and knowledge on how best to adapt trainings by understanding the challenges diverse groups of women face and designing solutions to better support them. For instance, the team energizers that are normally done standing were adapted to be done seated, and more reserved participants were provided with additional encouragement to speak about their business ideas and receive beneficial 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 striving to break down barriers preventing young women with physical disabilities from participating in the HerStart program. 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. These best practices and lessons learned will be shared across other countries where HerStart operates, furthering the ripple effect of this impactful collaboration. As a result, more marginalized young women will be able to explore the power of social entrepreneurship to strengthen their livelihoods and lift up their communities.

Are you ready to amplify the impact of women entrepreneurs and local organizations around the world? Learn more about YCI’s HerStart Fellowships for Canadians to drive social entrepreneurship and gender equality forward.