Background

SEWING is an international women's economic empowerment and skills training program created to tackle the exploitation of young women working as Kayayei in Accra, Ghana.

 

SEWING’s long-term goals include

  1. Training young Ghanaian women to sew and become financially self-sufficient

  2. Working to combat child labor and female exploitation in the Kayayei labor cycle through diplomacy, empowerment, and international collaboration

  3. Encouraging environmentally sustainable practices and efforts worldwide

 

Our organization was created to tackle the exploitation of young women working as “Kayayei” in Accra, Ghana. In Ghana, there exists an exploitative labor practice where women and girls become head porters, also known as “kayayei.” Some are as young as seven and have to give up educational opportunities to become kayayei. They work in extreme conditions, up to 14 hours a day, often carrying more than 60 kilos of market goods on their head, earning 2 dollars a day. 


The work often leads to health issues for the young women due to the extreme weight on their heads for long periods of time. In exchange for their labor, they are often promised payment, food, and housing; however, these promises are rarely followed through. These Kayayei are faced with extremely unfair labor practices and are vulnerable to malaria, HIV, and sexual assault.