OSEI Collective, recently, held the highly anticipated "Tie & Dye Tote Bag Workshop," at the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre, bringing together a diverse group of participants, from seasoned craft enthusiasts to complete beginners, all eager to learn the intricate art of tie and dye from remarkable disabled artisan, Nora Hlordzi.

The workshop is one of many social initiatives by OSEI Collective aimed at empowering persons with disabilities. It connects skilled disabled artisans like Nora to customers they might otherwise never reach. In Ghana, stigma and systemic exclusion too often deny persons with disabilities fair opportunities to showcase their skills or earn a dignified income. By placing artisans at the heart of interactive, creative experiences, OSEI Collective challenges these perceptions and fosters genuine appreciation for the value of their work.

Nora, an expert in batik and tie-dye, guided participants through traditional and contemporary techniques, showing how cultural artistry can be both deeply rooted and also modern. Each attendee left with a tote bag they had personally designed, and with a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship, talent, and entrepreneurship that too often goes unseen.

“Workshops like this don’t just teach a skill,” said Jessica Quelennec, Founder of OSEI Collective. “They dismantle barriers. They open their minds. And they create real market pathways for artisans with disabilities who have been excluded for far too long.”

The event attracted a mix of locals, expatriates, and tourist audiences who might not otherwise encounter disabled artisans’ work in mainstream markets. By creating these moments of exchange, OSEI Collective helps shift the narrative from “charity” to capability, creativity, and commerce.

This workshop is part of OSEI Collective’s broader mission to foster economic inclusion by equipping persons with disabilities with entrepreneurial skills, market access, and visibility. The organization will continue to run similar programs, ensuring that more artisans can connect directly with paying customers, strengthen their livelihoods, and help rewrite what disability inclusion looks like in Ghana.

About OSEI Collective

OSEI Collective is a nonprofit, grassroots-led organization empowering persons with disabilities in Ghana through capacity building, skills development, and entrepreneurship. Rejecting the traditional charity model, the Collective’s work is rooted in dignity, capability, and inclusion, creating pathways to self-reliance and economic empowerment, not dependency.