Research Design

During three years of immersive research in Accra’s Kantamanto Market where roughly 2200 tons of secondhand clothing are manually offloaded on a weekly basis in the form of 55kg compressed bales, The Or Foundation team encountered numerous women and girls working as headporters carrying bales who reported dire working conditions and fatalities among their peers. Informed by this background, beginning in 2021 The Or Foundation embarked on a first-of-its kind study to identify both the physiological impacts and the socioeconomic drivers of the kayayei trade in Kantamanto Market and across Ghana more broadly – the causes, conditions and effects of what has existed in the shadows for years.

Chiropractic X-Rays

In partnership with Nova Wellness Centre led by Dr Asheley Ashietey in Accra, we conducted chiropractic examinations of 100 women working as kayayei in Kantamanto Market ranging in ages from 15 to 44, with varied experience carrying in the market from those who had been working for a few weeks to some women who had carried bales for 20 years. Nearly every study participant reported significant pain as a result of headcarrying and x-rays indicated spinal deterioration and deformities beginning within months on the job. Such physiological impacts coupled with severely polluted, cramped and violent living conditions set the stage for catastrophic injury.

Needs Assessment

Emerging from the chiropractic research, The Or Foundation launched the Mabilgu Program to transition women and girls out of dangerous headcarrying, yet the systemic causes and conditions persist. The first ever market wide census conducted by The Or Foundation in collaboration with the Kantamanto Obroniwawu Businesses Association identified at least 1,300 women and girls working as kayayei in Kantamanto Market. Further research interviewed more than 300 of women and girls working as kayayei in and around Kantamanto Market as part of a needs assessment designed to identify systemic push and pull factors giving rise to dangerous headcarrying. In addition, outreach conducted during community screenings of Zjili and ongoing research conducted in collaboration with the University of Development Studies has identified severe educational gaps, with over half of study participants reporting no formal education and less than 10% reporting a secondary school education. This study amplifies The Or Foundation’s goal to offer scholarships to an additional 500 women and girls working as kayayei through the Mabilgu Program by 2030. The full needs assessment report can be accessed here.