This year, we reflect on the importance and impact that investing in women has on families, communities, ecosystems and social systems. We do this through the lens of the women that YEVU tangibly invests in, and celebrates their strength and resilience in the face of adversity.
Investing in women is a human rights issue. It's a bridge to gender inequality and foster more inclusive societies. YEVU is actively investing in women in Ghana to economically empower and accelerate progress towards greater equality. It might be a small drop in the ocean, but if we all did our bit to uplift women in real and action oriented ways, then we would collectively accelerate process towards a fairer world.
1. Fair and dignified jobs for women
YEVU employ's women from Ghana’s informal sector, who are earning below a living wage in unsafe and precarious conditions. In 2024, our team stands at 27 full time staff, made up of over 80% women (many of whom are single mums). Additionally, YEVU is female owned and led.
Jobs at YEVU pay a living wage, are full time and are located at our small factory in Ghana’s capital, Accra. Jobs at YEVU include social security, health insurance, paid parental leave, technical skill training and financial literacy training.
YEVU is a living wage provider, meaning that, on average, our employees are earning 4-6 times what they were earning before they joined YEVU.
We know that providing single mums with a fair and reliable income means that as the breadwinners, they can be financially independent, and feel confident and empowered that they can support their families needs.
This means that all daughters of YEVU staff are enrolled in school. Education, especially for girls, goes a long way in accelerating progress in gender equality and breaks cycles of intergenerational poverty.
2. Economically empowered women
In Ghana, as is the case in many emerging markets, women are excluded from accessing finance, formal banking, capital and property, despite the leadership role that women play in the small and medium enterprises that truly prop up and drive these economies, making up around 80% of economic activity.
YEVU aims to directly employ women from the informal sector that lack economic inclusion, and economic rights. Fair incomes, safe and sustainable jobs and access to and control over resources, including knowledge and skills, means that the women that work for YEVU are resilient, independent and more empowered to make decisions that affect themselves, their families and communities.
3. The ripple effect
Investing in women creates a ripple effect that yields multiple benefits, not only for individual women, but also for families, communities and countries.
By increasing women's control over household income they can improve their access to education and healthcare; have greater control over their reproductive health; their ability to make environmentally friendly choices; boost female-run businesses; and ultimately improves their status within families, community and entire countries.
Thank you for supporting a female led social enterprise that aims to economically empower women through fair and sustainable work.