Diana Zaake

"Within the first six months of receiving my loan my profits had doubled.  Business is booming!"  Diana Zaake.

I am 27 years old and am married with two children.  My husband John is a farmer who grows crops such as millet and groundnuts.  Life for us has been very hard, particularly in the dry season when my husband can’t work. We live in a mud house with a thatched roof and have no electricity.

When I was younger I traveled away from home to train for three years as a ‘kente’ weaver. Kente is a sacred cloth worn by Ghanaians, especially chiefs and officials, at special occasions such as festivals, weddings and parties. To make kente I weave multi-coloured threads together to make strips of cloth, which I then sew together. It takes me about three days to fully complete one sheet of kente cloth.

I used to feel very frustrated, because even though I worked hard to become the best kente weaver in my community, I was never able to make the cloth I wanted to because I was unable to buy the threads I needed. I couldn’t meet the demand from customers or win enough orders to make a living. Then, I heard about WildHearts through my friends.  I was invited to join the ‘Freedom Trust Bank’ and couldn’t believe it when I received my loan of £144.  

I used my loan to travel to Wa, the regional capital, to purchase a variety of threads and other stock in cash for the first time. I was able to negotiate a much better cost price and buy a far wider range of materials. Now I can make and sell different types of kente and my customers are very happy with the larger choice that I am now able to offer. Word has spread and I’ve attracted more and more customers. The training I got from WildHearts at our Trust Bank meetings on customer service and time management has also helped me to maintain and win more customers.  My new motto is the ‘customer is king’.  

Within the first six months of receiving my loan my profits had doubled.  Business is booming! With the proceeds from my weaving I am now able to look after my children and know they won’t go hungry when my husband can’t work or if the crops fail. I’ve even been able to help support my seven brothers and sisters and save a little each week to send to my parents. I am also training two apprentices on kente weaving and encouraging more women like me to apply to WildHearts so that they can expand their businesses. It’s my dream to grow my business further to be able to buy more equipment and take on a lot of young people as apprentices to give them the chance of a better future.


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