"With Kente fashion which symbolize the culture and national spirit of Africa, HMFC trains Ghanian women to become fashion designers by designing clothes and dreams together.”

Ghana HMFC(Halu Memorial Fashion College) CEO

James Juri

Greetings everyone! This is James, and I am living in the northern area of Ghana.

Ghana, which is located in the Western Africa, is 1.1 times the size of Korea and the population is about 30,000,000 people. In the recent 20 years, the economy of Ghana has been showing a constant rize which led to a fall in the poverty rate, but the rights of women is still a very severe issue.

According to the 2021 report from Oxfam, Ghanian women have lower than half the possibility of owning land compared to Ghanian men, and only 6 out of 100 wealthy people in Ghana are women. The most common reason is due to ‘early marriage’. 1 out of 5 Ghanian women marry before their 18th birthday, which makes women be easily exposed to  physical and sexual harrasment, and are unable to have a  job or economic stability.

To let Ghanian women gain self-reliance as an equal member of the community and dream for a better future, the journey of HMFC(Halu Memorial Fashion College) has begun. HMFC is a social enterprise which trains Ghanian women to become fashion designers and earns profit by selling clothes that they have made.

Ghana HMFC designs and sells clothes based on Kente fashion.

Have you not heard of Ghana’s Kente fashion before?

‘Kente’ means basket in Asante tribe language, and it derives from the fact that it is made from a finely woven fabric like a basket woven in continuous stripes. Kente, famous for its gorgeous color and colorful design, was used as a formal attire for royal households and upper tiers in the past. Nowadays, it is one of the most renowned fashion styles in Africa, as a symbol of not only Ghana but also African culture and national spirit.

HMFC is providing clothing design education based on kente fashion to disadvantaged women who do not have job opportunities. Currently, about 50 women are working with HMFC by designing, making and selling clothes through the education program. In addition, HMFC offers free education for low-income women who cannot afford to pay tuition so that all women who dream of a better future can get an education and achieve their dreams. Some students who have strengthened their skills through HMFC fashion design classes are either empowered as fashion designers or entrepreneurs after graduation, or as teachers teaching students at HMFC!  

As a result of education and mutual growth with Ghanaian women, Ghana HMFC is now dreaming of a better future with 50 women, after starting with 12 women. However, the lives of Ghanian women are still poor. Many women still do not have the opportunity to strengthen their capacities and economic status. To let more Ghanaian women receive education from HMFC, empower themselves and achieve their dreams, The Bridge Impact Donation will provide work spaces and work equipment in order to accommodate more students.  

Design the future of HMFC

and Ghanian women

to let them dream of a better future

with impact donation!