What We Do

Della ladies in Ghana

We believe in responsibility, not charity.

Della is a socially responsible fashion line working directly with a community in Ghana, West Africa. Every product is carefully handcrafted using authentic textiles sourced in the Volta Region. The passionate, talented women and men who create the pieces are given an opportunity to build a foundation for a better life through jobs, education and skills training.

Business done right.

Every dollar earned at Della goes toward providing employment, education and financial stability for women and men in Ghana. Our employees receive a steady, fair income and are empowered through education via micro-financing, savings and entrepreneurship classes.

Positive community impact of Della in Ghana

Programs

Weekly Literacy Classes Della employees participate in twice weekly literacy classes. Half of the women currently read at a primary school level, while the other half tested into 6th and 7th grade levels. Our goal is to work with the women to obtain an 8th grade reading level.

Upon successful completion of their literacy certificates, we hope to develop a one-year study program so that our employees can obtain their Junior High School degree (and eventually their high-school degrees as well). With our own production center, we hope to incorporate a classroom so that we can expand upon these classes by including other women from the community and offering additional classes.

Weekly Money-Management Training We have our weekly savings-training meeting every Wednesday. The women work in pairs to record their weekly spending. Tracking spending has allowed many of the women to see how they can save money.

We have also organized a Della Savings Account to further encourage our employees to save their funds. Employees can elect to contribute money every month or week to this account. Della pays 10% interest on each contribution. Our first savings cycle will expire in December. Those who participated will get their savings back and we will celebrate their success. In the future, we hope to work with our employees to save for larger items, such as annual rent payments or even a home.

Ruby is a Della seamstress in Ghana
Tracking spending has allowed many of the women to see how they can save money. Ruby, for example, noticed that she spends 4 to 5 cedi a week on taxis. After seeing this trend, she decided to start saving for a bike.

Volleyball League The Hohoe Women’s Volleyball League meets after church on Sundays. The league is open to any woman who wishes to play and about 20 members come regularly. Playing a sport is a great opportunity for women to get out of the house, meet new friends, develop leadership skills and work some exercise into their weeks.

Happy Kids Forty hours of one-on-one attention can help students to improve their grades by one level. Della employees lead a sewing-skills class twice a week at Happy Kids orphanage. Though this program, children learn to build their motor, math and sewing abilities and our employees develop their leadership skills.

Child Care While our current facilities do not have the space, we hope to incorporate an after-school child-care program into our new production center. Several of the women have young children and have difficulty managing this with their work schedules.

Additionally, Della helps provide:

  • National Social Security
  • National Healthcare Benefits

from ghana: How's its made & thanks!