Kate's Story as told to Kristina Dell
I work two jobs, one as a cleaner at Ghana’s electricity office and another as a seller at the street markets. I work these two jobs to take care of my family. I have three kids, ages 23, 19, and 8. All of them are students. My husband left me, so it’s all on me to support my family. I will do any job to take care of my children.
I wake up early and go to Ghana’s electricity office. It takes me about five hours to clean, and I work from 5 am to 10 am. I have to leave home very early to get there. It’s hard work, but it’s ok. This place is a good place to work, although the pay isn’t that great. I earn 600 Ghanaian Cedis (GHS) or about $55 a month. [For context, the average monthly salary in Ghana is 2,579 GHS or about $210. Wages are low due to an informal sector with few regulations.] I have transportation to work, but I pay for it.
At 10 am, I leave the electricity office and head to the markets to sell. I work at the market from 11 am to 6 pm, three or four days a week. There, I sell forks, knives, spoons, serving utensils, and other goods. I also sell very popular shopping bags. Often, people come to the market without bags to put their things in, so they buy my shopping bags. Sometimes the market is a good place to work, but not every day. There are days when I go to the market and come back having sold nothing. We sell on the open market, on the streets. The challenge is to find the right area to sell. In certain places by the roadside, the police don't allow us to set up shop. If we are in the wrong spot, the authorities come and seize our goods, and we lose our place to sell.
I like the market job because I get money immediately and can buy food for my children. I get paid right away for selling things. I often make 200 or 300 Ghanaian Cedis (GHS) a day or $18 to $27, depending on who comes to buy. I sell about three or four days a week. The other days I rest and stay with my kids.
I’m a member of our union, called the Informal Economy Workers’ Forum Ghana (INFORUM). It’s an umbrella union covering different sectors of informal work. I’m a regional leader at Ablugsion, one of our branches. The union will give me a soft loan to work, and I will use it to expand my market so I can sell more things. As a union leader, I talk to my people and show them how to sell well so they can find money. Members need to pay dues, but we get a discount when the market isn’t going well. We use dues to do everything, like classes and training for our members. I always talk about how important dues are. The union will always help us. I say to members, “Don’t use your money to buy things for yourself. You have to fight and put money down. If you are paying dues, the union will help you by giving you soft loans or supporting you in your work.” The union workers will help teach us how to use the money in the best way possible. The dues are low, and we pay very little interest, which helps. Everybody can pay.Â
If I can get a good job with a good salary, I’ll do it. Often, one of my daughters will come around to sell with me at the market. On Saturdays, my children go to classes and pass by the market, and I get them something fun, or we buy things for the house. I’m proud that I’m able to take care of my children by working these two jobs. In the future, maybe I will stop cleaning and just sell at the markets, and teach my children to sell with me. There will be a time when I will have to concentrate only on the markets to pay their school fees.
I hope my story resonates with people and they hear what we are doing. We are praying for you to help us by getting our story out. We give you a blessing.