I don’t come from a family of businesspeople; indeed, I didn’t really have a model at all in that area. My grandparents were teachers, factory workers and lay ministers, my parents were teachers and then pastors and my husband is a musician, teacher, vicar and chaplain. At school I struggled academically but I was always passionate about textiles and so I formed a career in merchandising, working for George Clothing (Asda Stores Limited).

From visiting factories all over the world, what most impacted me were the people that made up the supply chain, what the cost levers were and why there were so many people being treated badly. The garment industry employs 60 million people globally, 70% of whom are women, and can very quickly provide a formal job career path. As a Christian, I believe God made everybody unique and special and where you were born, what your situations were when you were growing up and what your education provision was shouldn’t mean that you don’t get to do a job that’s worthwhile. Everyone should be treated with respect and get the opportunity to grow as a person within her or his workplace.

While missionaries and theologians have important parts to play in evangelism, they seldom provide sustainable jobs. I was a small cog in a large business and so it was tough to make the kind of change I wanted to, at the speed I wanted to. I believe that God can speak directly to me and through two friends I heard God say, “If you want to walk on the water you’ve got to get out of the boat.” Three months later, unexpectedly, I was made redundant. God effectively shoved me out of the boat, and I realised then I needed to walk the talk.

Starting a business from scratch is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done but it was God’s business and he provided me with a great business partner, Paloma Schackert. My background in the industry perfectly complemented her background in research and economic development for women. We met in Ghana at the right time, winning a grant from USAID that kick-started the business. The industry in Ghana is in its infancy but has all the building blocks for rapid growth: a unique Africa-to-USA free-trade agreement; fast shipping times to the US, UK and Europe; a strong agricultural supply chain which keeps the cost of living low; good government labour policies. Therefore, we could create a baseline of ethical manufacturing, developing an industry from scratch that was going to be right from the beginning. This means sharing God’s love by not only treating everyone fairly but creating the best workplace and reinvesting profits back into worker empowerment and education.

Over the last eight years we have grown to working with partner factories and owning our own factory, creating 1,000 jobs and shipping $4 million of core, non-fashion, necessary products such as workwear and underwear. Our vision is to export goods worth $100 million by 2030 which is equivalent to 10,000 jobs. We have grown with a team of largely Christian investors who share our vision and values. One of those investors said,

I’ve come to believe that we have a duty to use our wealth to help people. God’s given me this capital to manage and as a faithful believer and follower of Jesus I want to do right in the world.

We’re not only trying to create those jobs that pay people fairly, provide them with benefits, help them to progress in their lives and their careers, and make them feel a sense of belonging, inclusion and power in the workplace. We’re also seeking to measure that and to help to figure out and contribute to the industry’s understanding of where those wins are that are both good for people and have a good return on investment from a business standpoint. Businesses work when they make profit but how we steward that profit is what makes us unique.
We feel that the stewardship of the skills that God has given to us is to be used to ensure that everybody that works in the garment industry has a respectable job, a worthwhile job. Business done well can be a blessing and vessel to show God’s love.

Keren Pybus is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ethical Apparel Africa, a clothing manufacturing and sourcing business based in Ghana delivering cost-competitive, quality products while ensuring workers are respected, empowered and paid living wages. A recent film made by the Seattle Pacific university sums up our vision and journey of EAA.