As 2023 begins, we pause and take stock of the year gone.
Here are some of the YEVU highlights in numbers, words and pictures.


🚨 WE MADE IT TO 10 YEARS! And 2022 marked our highest growth year to date, proving the long term financial viability of our social enterprise.

πŸͺ‘ YEVU retained 27 full time staff in fair and dignified jobs in Ghana, sewing over 8000 socially responsible garments that were sold worldwide.
πŸ‘©πŸ½β€β€οΈβ€πŸ‘©πŸΏ Women make up 70% of our team, and the majority are single mums and self described breadwinners, now earning up to 6 times what they were earning before joining YEVU.
🏭 We moved into our brand new manufacturing hub in Accra - more machinery, more training space, more communal areas, a photography studio, accommodation for staff in need. We smashed this goal!

βœ‚οΈ Felicia led over 200 hours of training to our Ghana team in patterncutting, new design construction, sewing, quality control and folding.

🀝🏽 We provided meaningful work opportunities for over 33 people living with disability in Australia through our partnership with Avenue Co-working.
Our team collected, checked, packed and shipped over 7600 YEVU garments to customers all over the world, with the capacity to send up to 50 orders per day.
πŸ’Έ As Ghana’s economy went into crisis, we increased wages 35% to reflect the increased cost of living in Accra and to respond to the needs of our team, ensuring we pay above a fluctuating living wage.

🏦 Bank accounts were opened for all staff, and we provided financial literacy training to increase capacity of the team to save and invest in the future.


πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ We supported women in Ukraine and Australian Flood relief efforts with over $5000 in donations; our financial support of @lgbtrightsghana was used to combat the Anti-LGBT Rights Bill in Parliament and construction of the new LGBTQIA+ safe community centre in Accra.

πŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬πŸ‡­ Australian Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts and Australia’s HC visited our manufacturing hub in Ghana to learn about how YEVU women are economically empowered!
🐣 New babies were introduced at the YEVU workshop after 2 years of COVID separation between our Australian and Ghanaian Founders, Anna and Fili.

πŸ›οΈ We ran our first Pop Up in 4 years! It was our most successful to date and we loved meeting so many amazing Sydney customers!



πŸ₯° We gathered some qualitative data by conducting interviews with our staff. The top happiness makers for our Ghana team: working with colleagues; pride as a financially independent woman/mother; kids are educated; making fashion that is sold globally; seeing customers wearing YEVU!