Two Experiences for the Price of One

 Dear Readers, 

 

Our blog post today is brought to you by Ethan Wilson and Allison Shore as our happy family (GHR Fellows and BUS200 Students) split in two for the day’s activities. Our writers today are both from Stillwater, Minnesota! 

 

 

For the BUS200 students, today was the beginning of our internship at the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO). After a ride in a Yango, the Ghanaian version of Uber, we arrived at a modest office building in Accra. The outside featured a garden which captured our interest, but we were quickly ushered inside to begin our orientation and presentation on the organization. Unfortunately, we were a bit late as we were running on GMT, or colloquially, Ghana Man Time.  

 

Our wonderful leaders, Paul, Daniel, and Mabel introduced members of the organization and their focus on distinct areas of outreach, research and community involvement, and grant management. As the GHR students were attending a presentation about gender in the workforce, we made it a point to notice how many women were involved in the organization. In a room of 12 individuals, only three were women.  

 

Paul introduced GAYO’s mission statement: to research and provide solutions to sustainability issues through public education and collaboration with youth. After asking for clarification around the word “youth” and finding out this included 15-35 year olds, we were relieved as it means we still have many youthful years ahead of us! Paul is the head of the research aspect of GAYO, with some of his initiatives including Trees 4 Biodiversity (an initiative to plant new trees across Ghana after mining efforts deforested swaths of the country), and YouSustain Conference (an effort to educate and empower young thinkers to present and enact their ideas on how to create a more sustainable Ghana).  

 

The next speakers, David and Mabel, covered topics such as what it means to be a circular economy, plastic buyback programs, and GAYO’s youth climate council. When thinking about the lifespan of plastic products - which are relatively widespread in Ghana - the speakers explained that many people imagine a linear lifespan; that is to say, the plastic bottle, bag, or container is produced, packaged, consumed, and thrown away. However, one of GAYO’s top priorities is to educate people on a circular economy surrounding plastic products. Instead of throwing away the plastic remains of everyday products such as water bottles or bags, the organization encourages recycling or reusing these products in various ways.  

 

One aspect of the circular economy is the Ghanaian plastic buyback program. Funded by grants, recycling plants and MRF’s (material recovery facilities) pay consumers for each plastic product brought to them. These plastic products are then recycled and repacked, ideally leading to the creation of no new plastic packaging and a more sustainable Ghana. In addition to these initiatives, GAYO funds a youth climate council, a think tank that empowers and funds youth ideas on ways to create more sustainability in the country. Some ideas funded by the organization include carbon capture initiatives and more climate change classes in public education and universities.  

 

After an insightful presentation, the BUS200 students stepped out into the courtyard for a tour of the garden we noticed when we arrived. Plants such as aloe vera, basil, and garden herbs were growing in repurposed plastic bottles. Spring onions and cocoyams were in larger plots and we were all surprised to see watermelons growing in January! It was great to see that GAYO embodies their mission as all the soil was created through locally sourced compost and it was an excellent example of how sustainable practices can be used to serve the common good.  

 

While the BUS200 students began their internship, the GHR cohort gathered for a guest lecture with “serial activist” Bashiratu Kamal (she prefers to be called just Bash). Bash gave an in-depth presentation from her research on Gender & Labor Dynamics in Ghana, with an emphasis on women and union activism. Bash covered an impressive amount of background and current issues that could take up an entire blog in itself; below I have highlighted some key takeaways: 

• -The Ghanaian economy has both an informal and formal sector 

• -Formal includes professional or contracted positions that are regulated by the government and thus (are supposed to) follow certain laws 

• -Informal covers the rest – any labor not documented or recognized with contracts and are therefore not subject to laws 

• -While women and men are employed at similar rates, a majority of women participate in the informal sector and as such, do not receive the benefits and protections that a formal job would provide  

• -Women opt for work in the informal sector due to societal gender norms requiring women to take on more domestic labor and needing more flexibility than formal employers are willing to give 

• -Here, women may be asked if they are married, pregnant, or if they have children (or if they plan to do so), and many employers will choose to overlook them for positions or promotions because of the perceived “expenses” for the company that come with motherhood 

• -COVID also ushered many women out of the formal sector, as they were forced to use personal leave for periods of quarantine when they had to care for their household 

• -Side note on COVID’s impact on gender labor equality: Bash believes it will now be 300 years until the pay gap is globally eliminated (an increase from pre-pandemic)  

• -Bash gave a key statistic that she believes is responsible for much of the inadequate treatment of women in the workforce: 15% of top decision-makers are women – our BUS 200 students saw this in real time at their internship  

• -This is vital, because everyday necessities such as bathrooms and personal protective equipment (and more) are established by policies that are dictated by men without women at the table 

• -Besides being uncomfortable for women, this can lead to distractions from their work and serious health risks 

• -Aside from being shut out of important conversations and dealing with those consequences, there are daily social dynamics that women must navigate, such as being expected to serve food to male colleagues, regardless of their position 

• -One example of recent progress is an increase in discussion around female biology (such as menstruation and menopause), despite a social taboo on the topic 

• -Bash mentioned several times the campaign “Don’t Tax My Pad”, which centers around abolishing the “luxury” tax placed on feminine hygiene products in Ghana  

• -More heavy themes were also covered, such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, and the prevalence of women being expected to perform sexual favors in return for job offers or promotions  

 

In summation, even the formal sector offers serious challenges for women including gender-based violence and harassment, discrimination, job and income insecurity, lack of protection, and abysmal odds of justice. We had many questions to ask Bash, and each led down a rabbit hole and into gender issues stemming from religious, political, and social influences. As future business leaders, our takeaways included the necessity to be advocates in the workplace; ensuring minority voices are heard in decisions; and creating safe spaces with our word choices. In this way, every worker can feel equally valued and protected against discrimination or violence. As human beings, our takeaway was to recognize mirrored issues at home and the progress our own country has – or has not – made. Our cohort has worked with one facet of these problems hands-on, in our own BUS200 class focused on domestic violence. I believe this discussion was an opportunity to examine the rigid expectations we have set for each gender and to question the benefits and detriments those roles provide us.  

 

 

Bash has been an active feminist and unionist, advocating for policies that protect all workers equally and fight against discrimination in the workplace. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration and Human Resources Management from Zenith University College and a Masters in Professional and Labour Studies, Labor, and Global Workers’ Rights from Penn State University, among other diplomas and recognitions from various institutes.  

 

For the second part of our day, the nine GHR students took Ubers to the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design (JACCD) Design Institute Africa. The registrar briefed our group on the school’s history and mission. JACCD was founded 29 years ago by Ababio, a successful Ghanaian fashion designer. We learned an important objective for the college is to build an ecosystem centered around the importance of creative education. Many students who apply are women between the age of 25 and 40, but as creative pursuits are taken more seriously, the applicant age has decreased, and the gender imbalance has lessened. Some notable initiatives include the Designability Scholarship, which provides considerable financial aid for differently abled students and a fashion show featuring models of different abilities. Another is the project Design Day which includes pairing film, graphic design, and fashion students to incorporate the latest technology from each area to create a multimedia experience.

As of now, the school offers two four-year programs – fashion and graphic design – with their more popular offerings being shorter term programs. Looking forward, the college hopes to increase collaboration with other institutions and to tap alumni (of which there are more than 10,000!) to support the school’s growth.  

 

As we toured the building, we saw classroom spaces for uses ranging from video game design to manufacturing textiles and much more. Outside the classrooms were lovely common spaces, like the café/library and a rooftop patio with an incredible view of Accra.  

 

After we reunited over dinner and a meeting with the BUS200 coordinator, Julie, we had an excellent conversation about what both groups learned today. Although very different experiences, we all felt empowered and ready to tackle our last week in Ghana. Both groups are excited for what’s to come - volunteering and learning about innovation and problem solving.  

 

Allison & Ethan