Store has opened - and more


I found out that it is not easy to make profit, especially with the soap it is very difficult. The soap in the market is made on large scale. This homemade soap is more expensive, which a lot of people cannot afford.
Luckily, with the beads it is a little bit easier. A lot of people are asking for the prices.
For the sowing project I bought some fabric. But sowing a cloth is not an easy job, so we have to take our time teaching those who want to sow.
If you are interested in a product, let us know. You can tell us your personal preferences about colour, styles and sizes. Then we are able to make a personal product for you.
For Dutch people: I can transport products when I'm flying back in August.
Prices:
- Soap: 1 euro for a small block, 2 euro for a big block
- Bracelet with your name: 2 euro
- Necklace: price to be decided
- Earings: price to be decided
- Cloth: from 15 euro and up, depending on the fabric, size and style
The plastic project
Another thing that we are busy with is a plastic project. In Ghana there is no waste collection service. And because there is no clean tap water, there is a lot of plastic waste from water sachets and bottles. At the start of my stay I was gathering my own plastic waste, especially water sachets and bottles. There are companies who buy these and recycle them. Some of the children got motivated to also gather plastic. Most of them are shy to do so. In Ghana, gathering plastic waste and picking plastic from the floor is seen as a job for poor people. Especially the young adults laugh when we talk about it and feel shy to walk around with plastic. I motivated the children to not care about what other people will think.
I have put a bag in the school and in the house for water sachets and bottles. Now, a lot of children in the school are gathering them, to sell and share the money.
I thought it was interesting to also teach the children about the issue with plastic waste. I printed some pictures and taught about a story to tell. The children were so enthausiastic, they wanted to go to their previous school to teach their old fellow students. After that we went to another school around. We teached 5 classes in total. The headmaster of one school said I should write a book about it. I took this very seriously and I wrote a book. You can download the book below.
Here is a video to get more impression about the project: https://youtu.be/U1V7XPd2yt0



Impressing story
Walking through the area around school, I came across an informal school. There are not enough free primary schools in Ghana. And if you get access, you sit in a class among 60 or more other children with 1 teacher. A lot of children don't go to school because their parents don't have money for schoolfees, lunch, books or a uniform.
There are a few informal schools, they gather the children, somewhere under a tree or in between the houses.
In this school, grandma and grandson were teaching about 12 children. There are more who didn't come today. They told me they ask parents for little voluntary contribution to buy a small amount of books, pencils and other needs. Sometimes the children don't have money for lunch, than the woman tries her best to give them something small. They are so pasionate and are intrinsically motivated to teach the children who can't go to a formal school. They don't get paid by anyone, unless the parents have money to bring them small compensation. This is the way Future Stars also started.
This is the first time I have seen an informal school. I was very impressed. I gave them a donation, and want to see what I can do more for them.

