Work, really?

Okay, you’ve asked (and asked) what it is exactly that we do out here in Ghana, and with your sponsorship the sole thing between us and a diet of rice and fufu, it’s time to let you in on the details.

Many of you will know that our main project out here is to build a 200 person ‘Fair Trade Textile Workshop’ for Global Mamas near the town of Pram Pram. The workshop will house batikers, seamstresses, weavers and quality control staff, as well as the usual support functions required for a large production site.

The team in Accra is currently in the process of raising the cash for this project and signing the lease on our house in the area, so in the meantime we’re based out in Cape Coast where the vast majority of production currently takes place. There are 13 permanent (Ghanaian) staff in the office here, 70 batikers and seamstresses working for us in the local area, and normally 2-10 volunteers onsite. 

                                                           the main office

                                                    the Quality Control room

  

  

Our work here includes:

Setting up tracking of orders and production …

 Writing reports (for example on reject rates) to influence next seasons catalogue…

Setting up a pay-per-click marketing campaign…

Converting the order management process from giant excel file to a user friendly database…

As well as other tasks such as coaching the management team here in writing emails and reports or assisting with the project briefs for new volunteers.

But most importantly while we’re here we’re trying to learn everything that the batikers, seamstresses, weavers, QC staff and management do, because in a few months time we have to setup an operation three times this size by ourselves.

Which should be fun.

Tim and Lyd