Ghanaian entrepreneur Mabel Suglo co-founded the Eco Shoes Project at 21-years of age. The initiative assists artisans with disabilities to create marketable shoes from used tyres and recycled cloth.
Using waste materials, Suglo has been able to make unique shoes and bags that also empower her employees. The idea behind Eco Shoes Project started from Suglo’s need to make shoes for her disabled grandmother. She did not have any material that she could use so she decided to innovate by using old tyres and other waste materials. Inspired by her grandmother, Suglo employs artisan makers with disabilities and teaches them transferable skills, she also provides mentoring and training to help them grow professionally.
“I saw disabled artisans, so I decided to walk up to some of them and ask if they would like to be offered a job that would earn them income – more income than what they getting,” says Suglo. “I asked them whether they were prepared to work hard for it, and they said “yes”. She also says that ‘’Production has increased because the demand for the shoes is really high. We are able to produce 1,500 shoes as compared with 500 last year.”
Entrepreneurs are known to be risk takers who solve problems facing society with the ultimate motive of making profit. However, Suglo is an individual who has gone the extra mile, changing the lives of her employees for the better, and this makes her a game changer.
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Images Credit: Eco-Shoes Initiative