Earlier this summer, I was invited by His Excellency Former President of Ghana John Kufuor as his special guest for the launch of the Ghana Job Bank. It was one of the most extraordinary honors I've had - to meet such a beloved leader who was responsible for bringing a new dawn to the rapidly growing region of West Africa. I was there not only as his special guest but to also speak at a conference he was a patron of on leadership and entrepreneurship in the tech. After my presentation I went backstage when shortly thereafter, Monica Atenkah came up to me and introduced herself. She began to tell me her story as to how she was one of the first women elected to Parliament in 1979 and how she traveled the world after her term was complete, visiting women around the world and seeing how we are all bound but the common desire to be strong providers for our families. She spoke of the high rates of unemployment in Ghana, especially for youth where the challenge of keeping women off the streets is an every day threat. We spoke for quite awhile and she shared her vision for her company for handmade designs for the home that she and 16 other women in her small rural community as a means of a sustainable livelihood. Most of the women she employs are women she kept from turning to prostitution as a means of income in a country where unemployment is over 26% for youth.
After hearing Monica's story, I knew this had to be someone I helped get to the next stage of their company. So Monica sent me select items from her inventory of beautiful handcrafted pillows, we set up a website for her and brought her creations to the Western world. Each pillow is made from the Kente cloth using leftover materials from dresses that have become increasingly popular with celebs like Beyonce, Rihanna and Gwen Stefani often spotted wearing similar brightly colored African Kente prints.
RedFlight is a strong believer in helping women - both young and young at heart - helping them to be a sheroe in their community and live the impossible dream. I've featured Monica's company M Designs and her products here where you can purchase her pillows where they ship locally from Los Angeles. Every sale's proceeds go back 100% to Monica and her small staff of seamstresses where every purchase will feed a small family for a week in Ghana.
Please visit http://www.redflightmobile.com/m-designs and help Monica change the course of history for women in her community - one pillow at a time.