Episode 1: The Story of Philip Ayitey
Foreword Hendrik
When I answered questions on stage after the screening on our cinema tour in recent weeks, I repeatedly received feedback that it is super exciting to hear exactly what we are achieving on the ground in West Africa, what it means for the people.
As we naturally have a lot to say about this, I am launching a new series in which I tell you about people whose lives have been transformed by the work of fairafric.
I hope these impact stories will give you an even better understanding of the challenges in West Africa and our work. But they should also bring joy, because many of you support our work on the ground through investments and the impact that I want to write about here regularly is also your impact.
And we want to achieve much more impact. So I wish you insightful, exciting reading and thank you for your support!
As we naturally have a lot to say about this, I am launching a new series in which I tell you about people whose lives have been transformed by the work of fairafric.
I hope these impact stories will give you an even better understanding of the challenges in West Africa and our work. But they should also bring joy, because many of you support our work on the ground through investments and the impact that I want to write about here regularly is also your impact.
And we want to achieve much more impact. So I wish you insightful, exciting reading and thank you for your support!
Your Hendrik
A chance meeting
When I was traveling through Ghana in 2016 in search of organic cocoa, I made a stop in the Eastern Region in the small town of Suhum to get to know the local organic cocoa initiative.
At the end of the day, I arrived at a small guest house where Philip greeted me warmly. I remember watching soccer with him in the small lobby that evening. The next morning, before I continued my journey, we exchanged contact details.
From then on, we actually got our cocoa from the region, so I became a kind of regular guest. Reservations via WhatsApp were straightforward. The guest house was never fully booked, in fact I was usually the only guest.
Because I always felt so safe and welcome, I came back every few months, sometimes weeks. Philip was always there and always on duty. One day I asked him if he was ever not working. I knew that Philip slept in the lobby under the stairs to the upper floor when he was on duty.
A portrait of Philip
Philip was born in the village of Aponoapono in 1997. The entire economic activity in this village consists of subsistence farming. The only other source of income is the cultivation of cocoa. After elementary school in his village, Philip attended high school in Suhum.
An aha moment
I then heard that Philip actually lived there. He was basically on duty 24 hours a day all year round. Because he slept in the lobby, he was always available for guests on the one hand, and on the other, he could also look after guests arriving at night.
What Europeans see as unsustainable working conditions was great luck for Philip. The vast majority of his friends did not find work after school and worked as laborers on farms in their home village.
I later learned that his salary was only paid in full if the workload allowed it. This is also all too normal by Ghanaian standards.
Since I knew this, my tips became such a big part of Philip's income that I received weekly WhatsApps asking when I would be back in the region.
From guest house to secure income
During the construction of our factory, I was in the guest house almost all the time. As there was no restaurant, Philipp took care of my food. He was always able to find something.
One morning, when I was on my way to the construction site, Philip asked me for a chat. He asked about a job. When I asked him what he wanted to do, he said: "Anything, maybe driving, he can do that, but only in Suhum because he doesn't have a driver's license. He knows the policemen in Suhum, they don't mind, but maybe the ones on the way to Accra.
After a bit of back and forth, I realized that no matter what, he would do anything; and knowing him, he would do it well. I told him that if he got his CV on paper, I would take it with me and get him an interview. That's what happened and Philip was hired as a production assistant a few weeks later. His first job was to sort the boards coming out of the packing machine into boxes and stack them on pallets.
After years of insecure income and sleeping under the stairs, Philip moved into an apartment in Suhum with his now secure, stable income. He opened a bank account, got health insurance for the first time in his life and was surprised that we organized a private pension scheme for him. His starting salary, after all deductions, was four times what he had previously been able to earn in good months.
One morning, when I was on my way to the construction site, Philip asked me for a chat. He asked about a job. When I asked him what he wanted to do, he said: "Anything, maybe driving, he can do that, but only in Suhum because he doesn't have a driver's license. He knows the policemen in Suhum, they don't mind, but maybe the ones on the way to Accra.
After a bit of back and forth, I realized that no matter what, he would do anything; and knowing him, he would do it well. I told him that if he got his CV on paper, I would take it with me and get him an interview. That's what happened and Philip was hired as a production assistant a few weeks later. His first job was to sort the boards coming out of the packing machine into boxes and stack them on pallets.
After years of insecure income and sleeping under the stairs, Philip moved into an apartment in Suhum with his now secure, stable income. He opened a bank account, got health insurance for the first time in his life and was surprised that we organized a private pension scheme for him. His starting salary, after all deductions, was four times what he had previously been able to earn in good months.
I also moved out of the guest house into an apartment in Suhum, which I still share with a colleague today.
Seizing opportunities: From helper to machine operator
Philip's presence was immediately felt on the "floor", as we call the production hall. Whenever I saw him, he was beaming with joy.
At fairafric, every employee has a career path. We regularly discuss with management how to make the day-to-day work more interesting and how the person can develop in the long term. Even if there is no interest in taking on more responsibility, we use job rotation to ensure that there is variety.
Philip's ambition was immediately clear: he wanted to work with the machines. As the area of chocolate drop production is currently growing very strongly in our company, it was decided that Philip would learn to operate this machine.
At fairafric, every employee has a career path. We regularly discuss with management how to make the day-to-day work more interesting and how the person can develop in the long term. Even if there is no interest in taking on more responsibility, we use job rotation to ensure that there is variety.
Philip's ambition was immediately clear: he wanted to work with the machines. As the area of chocolate drop production is currently growing very strongly in our company, it was decided that Philip would learn to operate this machine.
He was introduced to the machines and various sub-areas step by step, on the job, and was promoted to Machine Operator after a few months. Philip now operates the dropline completely on his own and will soon be training new employees on it.
His big dream is to visit a chocolate factory in Europe and further develop his horizons there. After we have already been able to organize such a visit twice for a group of fairafricans, the chances are not bad that his wish will come true.
Philip is living proof that in West Africa it is not a lack of motivation, education or cleverness, but only a lack of opportunities to use these skills.
His big dream is to visit a chocolate factory in Europe and further develop his horizons there. After we have already been able to organize such a visit twice for a group of fairafricans, the chances are not bad that his wish will come true.
Philip is living proof that in West Africa it is not a lack of motivation, education or cleverness, but only a lack of opportunities to use these skills.
Creating real prospects
Whenever I'm at the factory, I work in the large conference room, with the door open. That way, everyone can say hello and I'm always approachable. I also don't have to keep running back and forth for meetings. One day, Philip suddenly stood in the room. He pointed to a roll-up with this picture on it.
The roll-up was in the room because of an event, it shows the farmers of one of the communities from which we buy cocoa. He said to me without any introductory words: "You know, I know every single one of these farmers. They are from my village."
That was a huge coincidence, I could hardly believe it. My curiosity was piqued and I peppered Philip with questions. Yes, they all knew that he worked at fairafric in the factory and no, none of his childhood friends from the village had a similar job.
This led to the question of whether he was happy with where his life path had taken him. From a thoughtful face came a hesitant yes. "I wish it had happened sooner. A few years ago, my mother became seriously ill and died within a few days. We couldn't afford to take her to hospital. If I'd had this job back then, I would have had money for the hospital."
Philip now wants to work on giving others similar opportunities. Every job counts. Just as he asked me for a job back then, his friends ask him almost daily to help them get started at fairafric.
For me, Philip's story is an incredible motivation. Almost all of the nearly 100 employees in Ghana had the same difficulty in building a secure livelihood. Offering even more people a real chance to get out of precarious living conditions myself motivates me to get back to the office every morning.
The roll-up was in the room because of an event, it shows the farmers of one of the communities from which we buy cocoa. He said to me without any introductory words: "You know, I know every single one of these farmers. They are from my village."
That was a huge coincidence, I could hardly believe it. My curiosity was piqued and I peppered Philip with questions. Yes, they all knew that he worked at fairafric in the factory and no, none of his childhood friends from the village had a similar job.
This led to the question of whether he was happy with where his life path had taken him. From a thoughtful face came a hesitant yes. "I wish it had happened sooner. A few years ago, my mother became seriously ill and died within a few days. We couldn't afford to take her to hospital. If I'd had this job back then, I would have had money for the hospital."
Philip now wants to work on giving others similar opportunities. Every job counts. Just as he asked me for a job back then, his friends ask him almost daily to help them get started at fairafric.
For me, Philip's story is an incredible motivation. Almost all of the nearly 100 employees in Ghana had the same difficulty in building a secure livelihood. Offering even more people a real chance to get out of precarious living conditions myself motivates me to get back to the office every morning.
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