Kpinbli is an informal market sprung up in an energy corridor in the heart of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Massive electrical towers loom over the red earth here, joined together by high-voltage wires. Beneath these dangerous figures of modern urban life, the ground is pocked with garbage. Sewage runs in rivulets in the hard rain, and cars and motorbikes must move slowly to traverse the humped and potholed ground. This is not a safe place for anyone to spend time, but the vendors here have few choices.

This is also an unlikely place to find fine crocheted garments—lovely and delicate dresses, accessories and baby clothes—elegantly displayed.

The artisan who creates them is Gilbert Gnepa, a woman on her own—in life and in her livelihood. A single mother of three daughters, one of whom suffers from epilepsy, Gilbert operates a mobile kiosk, selling her designs both in the market at Kpinbli and in the streets of Abidjan, a city of 6 million people sharply divided between rich and poor.

For years she struggled to make a living from her business. Then, in 2022, she learned of the Informal Economy Workers Federation of Côte d’Ivoire (FETTEI-CI). She soon joined, taking advantage of the benefits of belonging. Among these, a group health insurance scheme and training courses on a wide range of topics. Members learn to understand their rights as workers, women gain knowledge to confidently overcome challenges, and independent vendors like Gilbert discover how to improve their businesses.

One course in particular has had a most significant impact for this artisan. Through FETTEI-CI, she learned how to move her business online. Now, although she still sells in person, she has a website. This is crucial in an increasingly online world. In Cote d’Ivoire, the telecom regulator reports there are millions more mobile phones than people.

After the online training, Gilbert says her income more than tripled, and most of that increase is online. She now earns, on average, the equivalent of about $30 USD per day. It’s not a fortune—especially after she pays for goods to be delivered to buyers throughout the city—but it is enough to pay school fees and to start to feel optimistic that she will be able to provide a better life for her daughters.

This optimism is possible because Gilbert is not alone now. She is part of a family 5,000 federation members strong who are all striving for a future where peril is not always looming over their heads.

[Picture: Gilbert Knepa with her daughter Estelle, who is learning the art of crocheting beautiful things in Abidjan. Photo: Leslie Vryenhoek]