Meet Rejoice: A Beacon of Hope in Ghana

Rejoice is a single mother in her 50s from the Ho region of Ghana. She grew up in a very poor family, but her mother, a teacher, taught her the importance of education from a young age. Rejoice got married early and faced many challenges as a young mother. To help with the household budget, she learned to sew and started a course at a college. After finishing the course, she began making money, but when her husband left her and their children, her income wasn’t enough. To supplement her earnings, she started making soap to sell at the local market. This helped her make ends meet and provide education for her children.

Rejoice knew she had to aim higher. She saw that many young mothers in Ghana faced the same struggles, especially those abandoned by their husbands. Six years ago, she started a project to help others. She began traveling to different communities, offering one-day training sessions in villages. She saves money, buys all the necessary materials like palm oil, kernel oil, caustic soda, and sulfur, and sets off at dawn, sometimes traveling for two or three hours. Transport in Ghana can be very challenging, especially with a big load. She spends the entire day in the village, training young girls and women to make two types of soap—one for bathing and one for washing clothes. Typically, she trains around 12 women and makes 10kg of soap, leaving half for them to sell at the market and buy materials for a new batch.

Rejoice has a bigger dream. She wants to create a three-month course for women, inviting them to stay with her. She would teach them sewing, making more advanced types of soap, ornaments, and jewelry. She wants to teach them how to sell their products well and give them a sense of dignity by being independent. Rejoice also wants to teach them about health, especially sexual health, and their rights. Many women in Ghana experience home violence, which is very common.

Crosscause has been working with Rejoice for over four years. Besides her soap-making project, Rejoice also fosters children, and our charity has been helping her by supplying clothes and other necessities for them. Her extensive knowledge of the local area and the people in need, along with her respect among the Elders, makes her an invaluable partner. Together with Rejoice, we have reached many families in need in the local area. Her kindness, engagement, and understanding of the local culture help us communicate with those who don’t speak English. She is one of the few in our network of local leaders, thanks to whom we can reach more and more people and truly change their lives.

Rejoice’s dream is within reach, but we can’t achieve it without your help. Your donation can help us support her vision of empowering women, providing them with skills, dignity, and independence. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a significant impact. Join us in making Rejoice’s dream a reality and bring hope to many more women and families in Ghana. Together, we can make a lasting difference.

Sewing Machines
Electric Sewing Machine
Hand Sewing Machine
Neating and Locking Machine
Serger

Cutting Tools
Scissors
Rotary Cutter and Self-Healing Mat
Cutting Mat
Pinking Shears
Thread Snips
Button Hole Cutter
Eyelet Making Tools

Essential Sewing Accessories
Sewing Machine Needle
Threads of Different Colors
Bias Binding Tape Maker
Binder Clips
Fray Check
Embroidery Plate

Measuring and Marking Tools
Measuring Tape
Sewing Gauge
Hem Gauge
Tracing Wheel

Workspace Setup
White Tables
Chairs
Iron and Ironing Board
Lights
Sleeve Board
Tailor’s Ham
Needle Board

Specialized Tools
Tweezers
Magnifying Glasses