The Matilda Flow Inclusion (MFI) Foundation is a non-profit, community-based organization in Amasaman, Ghana founded by Matilda Lartey that is home to the Make Fashion Clean Upcycling Partnership.
Since 2016, the foundation has created the MFC Beginnings Collection of upcycled and organic cotton tie-dye and the MFC Blue Circle Collection of upcycled denim experiments. As of 2026, the Foundation is the owner, designer, and creative force behind Matilda’s Extending Denim Project, a functional upcycled art brand crafted by artisans in Greater Accra, Ghana, transforming secondhand denim and other repurposed materials through patchwork design, fabric bead-making, and natural dye techniques.
Mission.
The mission of the Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation is to create inclusive work and job training with fair wages for artisans who have been displaced by the secondhand clothing trade and the global fast fashion industry. The foundation does this through their upcycling studio where they transform secondhand clothing and textile waste into upcycled bags, accessories, fashion, and other denim and repurposed products. They primarily work with artisans who are women, persons with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, and caregivers of adults with disabilities.
Programs.
The Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation operates multiple programs: employment for artisans (junior and senior roles), along with paid training positions in sewing, cloth-making, soap-making, and other crafts. Training programs include full-time apprenticeships, an entrepreneurship program that provides 6 months of job training and a business development grant, and a work-from-home program focused on bead-making and weaving. The Foundation also regularly holds community trainings for soap-making and other crafts.
The upcycling studio currently employs 8 or more artisans or trainees and has adopted a fair wage standard to pay both artisans and trainees 70 to 130% above the minimum wage in Ghana, which is adjusted annually. This is intended to create economic security for artisans within the creative economy.
Founder.
Matilda Lartey is an artisan, fashion designer, and community activist, who founded the Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation in 2016-2017 to create inclusive work and training for artisans living in or near her community in Fise Amasaman, Greater Accra, Ghana. Like many artisans, Matilda has seen her livelihood affected by the rise of the global fast fashion industry and by the secondhand clothing trade from the Global North, which sends millions of pounds of used textiles to Ghana each year.
As a parent with a daughter with a disability, Matilda has also brought her lived experiences navigating barriers that women with children with disabilities and women with disabilities encounter in employment and earning a living wage in Ghana. She created Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation to serve as a creative hub in her community, providing positions for artisans, paid training, and community programs grounded in values of creativity, inclusion, and environmental sustainability.
Leadership.
The foundation is governed by a board of directors comprised of local activists, community members, business leaders, and individuals with significant history and experience with the organization.
As of 2026, the foundation’s board of directors includes the following eight members:
- Adieu Kofi Wisdom
- Amanda Addo
- Esmond Asiedu
- Genevieve Amma Kujam
- James Mensah Tumado
- Matilda Lartey (Founder)
- Michael Aboagye
- Richmond Bright Mensah Tumado
Founder Matilda Lartey serves as the Managing Director of the Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation.
Transparency.
The Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation is incorporated in Ghana as a private company limited by guarantee under registration number CG057422021 and is recognized as a nonprofit organization by the Department of Social Welfare. The Foundation maintains its registration through annual renewals, audited financial reporting, and the publication of annual reports documenting its activities, finances, and impact.
Reports.
2023 Report for the Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation
2024-2025 Report for the Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation
Organization History.
The Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation was founded in 2016 by Matilda Lartey and is governed by a board of directors comprised of local activists, community members, business leaders, and individuals with significant history and experience with the organization. The foundation’s programs have been largely funded up to 2026 by MFC Tie-Dye Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization in the United States that was created to help sustain and grow the Foundation’s upcycling programs. MFC stands for “Make Fashion Clean”. A companion website for the MFC Beginnings Collection documents this collaboration’s origins.
The foundation’s work began with a pilot focused on tie-dye using organic cotton fabric from Mali and India. In 2017, they transitioned to upcycling, and by 2018-2019, they introduced a focus on upcycled denim, which soon became the primary focus. In 2026, they reintroduced tie-dye using natural dye methods in collaboration with partners MFC Tie-Dye Inc. and Aftermath Learning Lab through a grant that enabled testing and implementation of natural dyes and improved wastewater filtration processes at the foundation. These efforts aimed to ensure dying methods used by the foundation are low-impact.
In November 2026, in collaboration with MFC Tie-Dye Inc., the foundation launched Matilda’s Extending Denim Project. Unlike earlier upcycled collections, such as MFC Beginnings and MFC Blue Circle, which are sold through Etsy and fulfilled by the MFC Tie-Dye Inc. volunteer team in the United States, Matilda’s Extending Denim Project was developed through a grant from MFC Tie-Dye Inc. to address structural barriers to the foundation’s participation in e-commerce. The store enables products to be shipped directly from Ghana to customers in the United States and Ghana and for proceeds from sales to be deposited directly into the Foundation’s bank account. This approach is intended to strengthen the Foundation’s financial independence, expand its market reach, and create a more equitable and sustainable project.
The core operations of the Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation will be funded from 2027 to 2032 by the Make Fashion Clean Impact Fund, a six-year fund to sustain the foundation as it works to transition to financial sustainability through product sales. Having achieved its goals of helping to scale the foundation, MFC Tie-Dye Inc. plans to dissolve at the end of 2027 or in 2028, transferring full control of the upcycling partnership to the Foundation’s local governance and management teams in Ghana.
Finally, the foundation is currently fundraising for the AccessTro Transportation Program, a pilot project that will provide affordable transportation for persons with disabilities in Amasaman, Ghana while creating a sustainable source of funding for an expanded inclusive paid job training program at the foundation. This campaign is deeply aligned with the Foundation’s mission of creating inclusive work and job training.
Donate.
Starting December 2026, donate through Paystack to the Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation using a Visa or Mastercard debit or credit card (in Ghana, the United States, and select other international locations) or via mobile money such as MTN MoMo, AirtelTigo, and Telecel.
Donate to the Make Fashion Clean Impact Fund to help sustain the Make Fashion Clean Upcycling Partnership with the Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation through 2032 and beyond. U.S. donations are tax-deductible through MFC Tie-Dye Inc. as a 501c3 non-profit organization. View other ways to donate.
Contact.
Instagram: @matildaflowghana
Facebook: Matilda Flow Inclusion Foundation
Email: matildaflowenterprise@gmail.com
Phone: +233 540497313
Mailing Address: P.O. Box AN-18873, Accra North, Ghana
Studio Address: Tie and Dye House, Nii Kpakpo Oblipoo Road, Amasaman Fise, Greater Accra, Ghana
Studio Ghana Post GPS Address: GW-0045-5768
Visit the Upcycling Studio: View on Google Maps
