Womens Trust- Microfinance in Pokuase, Ghana

In April of 2007 I documented the work of Womens Trust, a non profit organization that empowers women by supporting programs that allows women to be entrepreneurs. The primary focus of Womens Trust is the poor and very poor women and girls of Pokuase Ghana. The empowerment of women is accomplished through a microlending program where groups of women initially receive a loan of $55 each for 4 months and the next loan is granted only when each member of the group pays off the first loan. Fifty five dollars actually goes a long way in a village where most women earn only between $1-$2 dollars per day.

During my short stay in Pokuase, at first I did not understand how these very small loans could make any difference. As I met and photographed many of the recipients of these micro loans, I observed a great sense of pride and hopefulness in these women. This psychological empowerment is not to be underestimated as it gives women the strength to improve their lives by moderating the size of their families, and placing a higher value on educating their children.