Street Vendor Support

We believe that those with much are to share with others although the poor will always be with us. As such Social Justice for Poverty Alleviation supports hawkers and micro-entrepreneurs who vend on the streets. Our contributions include:

• Traffic-vendor support-Ghana
• Cash support to small vendor operations.

Problem: Stop in traffic in Ghana on the streets of Accra and there will be several people at your window, holding up merchandise- from dog chains, to hair brushes, to bath sponges, to toilet roll to food, or drink—anything you want, it is there.  It is convenient, and people haggle out of their car windows.  Everyone forgets that these people are the working poor.  They are not sitting idle waiting for a hand out. They have taken whatever opportunity they have been given and are working the life out of it.  They walk from morning to night, the old, the young, the middle-aged. The items are often not theirs and they walk miles up and down long lines of traffic.  Pass by in the evening and you will see the desperate ones still walking, running, trying to catch a sale. Often these ones are no longer smiling, and you can see desperation in their eyes.

Solution: The moment is fleeting, the opportunity is there. This is a ministry where we just randomly surprise the vendor with a gift. Large enough to take time off, maybe a month, or to begin their own small business.  It is an “Angel” service and is particularly rewarding.  We remind people that God sees them, even if it is through a human being who sees their suffering, who appreciates that they are trying to survive and feed their families in the most unconventional and arduous ways.