By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
Akwaaba everyone,
It feels like a lifetime ago that we started our first program in Elmina, but looking at the calendar, it has actually been eight years. Thanks for stopping by to read this. Your support has been the engine behind everything we’ve done here, and I want to make sure you know exactly where that energy is going.
We have a massive milestone in our sights: we believe 2026 is going to be our final year in this specific community.
When we look back at the 300 women who have walked through our doors, it is hard not to get emotional. Every single one of them has moved into employment, and over the last four years, we have seen their work go from training pieces to a polished product that is selling at the famous tourist spot by the old slave castle on the Cape Coast. We have reached a point where eight of our alumni are fully employed, and we are finally turning a profit.
The goal now is simple but bold: we want to hand the keys over to the local community by November 2026. We are not just walking away, of course we will stick around as mentors but these women are ready to own this. They have the skills, the drive, and the plan to make this project financially sustain itself for the Elmina fishing community for years to come.
To make that final handover a reality, we need one last push to upgrade our machinery this year. If we get this tech upgrade, we know the project will be standing on its own two feet long after we’ve moved on.
And that is where it gets interesting.
I am spending the first few months of 2027 in Accra and the surrounding urban townships. We are already mapping out our next women’s empowerment program. This means 2026 is a huge transition year for us. We are balancing an exit strategy in Elmina with a major fundraising push to secure a new space, buy new equipment, and train up the local leaders who will run the show in Accra.
We have the Little by Little campaign coming up on GlobalGiving from March 17th to the 20th. Since every donation up to 50 dollars gets a 50 percent match, this is our best shot at clearing those final equipment costs in Elmina and stacking up the runway we need for Accra.
Mark your calendars for March 17th. We would love it if you shared this story with your people. We are not just finishing one project; we are setting the foundation for the next chapter.
Thanks for being in our corner. It means everything to me and the women we work with.
By Dorcas | Sewing Teacher
By Juliette | Business Adviser in Ghana
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