Trade Aid

Ghana

TradeAID is a non-profit organization founded in 2000 to support the skilled basket weavers of Bolgatanga, Ghana. The weaving of traditional Bolga Baskets is a major source of livelihood for the Upper East region of the country, where 90% of people live below the poverty line. When an undergraduate research project by students at the University of Cape Town revealed that artisans in the Bolgatanga District were receiving little-to-no support from the National Board for Small Scale Industries and were earning less than 20% of the price their work sold for, the students jumped to action. TradeAID was founded to provide fair trade wages to these artisans, as well as provide support to women entrepreneurs. By partnering with TradeAID, artisans have access to professional training, marketing outlets, raw material, and management skills training. TradeAID also supplies weavers with shelter to protect them from bad weather. In these spaces, workers are able to learn from each other, build community, and generate unity.