Every Friday, I sit with the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) group in my community as they meet to save, discuss, and support one another. Over time, our conversations began to move beyond savings. I gently introduced a question that stayed with the group for weeks: “What small business could you start together that would not require much capital but could still generate income?”
At first, the idea of working together on a business was met with hesitation. The women were skeptical. Many had concerns about trust, commitment, and whether group work could truly succeed. During one of our weekly meetings, I discussed with them the benefits of working together as a group; shared responsibilities, reduced risks, and the ability to start small while growing together. Slowly, the idea began to settle.
Initially, the group decided to learn how to produce and brand bar soap for the local market. However, a week later, they returned with concerns. They had learned that soap production required significant capital, and as a group, they could not afford it. Rather than abandoning the idea of starting a business, we reflected together on what resources were already available within the community.
I asked a simple question: “Why don’t we think of a business where the inputs already exist in your homes?” That was when Tom-Brown processing came into the discussion. Every member had maize, groundnuts, or soybeans at home. With minimal additional costs for sugar, packaging, grinding, and transportation, the idea suddenly felt achievable.
We agreed that each member would contribute a bowl of whatever grain they had and ten Ghana cedis to support the remaining inputs and branding. Although the decision was made collectively, progress was slow. Weeks passed without contributions, and I continued to remind the group during meetings. Eventually, a few members began to contribute, and once that happened, others followed. In the end, all members made contributions, and the group was finally ready to begin production.
The plan was to train all thirty members, but reality intervened. Attendance dropped at different stages of the process, and by the end, only nine members participated fully in the training and production of the first batch of Tom-Brown. Despite the low turnout, production was successfully completed.
When the Tom-Brown was ready, the community tested it and they loved it. Even more exciting, the group made sales that very day. What made the moment powerful was the shared understanding that although only nine members carried out the first production, the success belonged to the entire group. That is the strength of collective effort. What began as skepticism grew into confidence, cooperation, and a practical income-generating activity rooted in local resources.
This experience reinforced an important lesson for me as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer: community-led development takes time. Trust builds slowly, but when it does, even small ideas like Tom-Brown can turn into meaningful change.
