Workers Who Form the Backbone of the Secondhand Market Are Especially Vulnerable in a Time of Pandemic

Author:Whitney BauckPublish date:May 6, 2020If you've ever cleaned out your closet, donated the excess and congratulated yourself for keeping clothing out of landfill, chances are you've been relying on a group of people you've probably never even heard of: Ghana's kayayei. Though they're seldom celebrated by vocal champions of the circular economy, kayayei have been described as "the backbone of the secondhand clothing trade.

Kayayei play an essential part in transporting garments from secondhand clothing importers to the markets where they will be sorted and hopefully resold. That means that millions of items donated every week by Marie Kondo-inspired Americans, Brits and more would never make it to the secondhand clothing stream, where they have a shot at being diverted from landfills, if it weren't for kayayei.

Covid-19 has exacerbated the difficulties of making a living as a kayayo even further. Like many worldwide who rely on the gig economy for their income, there's no financial safety net for these women. So when the pandemic-related lockdown shuttered the secondhand trade at Kantamanto, kayayei were left with few resources. Even once markets opened back up in late April, many were hesitant to return to work for fear that they'd contract the virus.

Though the OR Foundation has been raising funds to provide temporary relief in the form of food and hand sanitizer for those living in Old Fadama, Ricketts and her co-founder Branson Skinner join the Kayayei Youth Association in hoping that local government will do more to support these vulnerable but essential workers in the global secondhand supply chain.

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