Friday 26 June 2009

Ethical Fashion & Entrepreneurship -Global Mamas

"Global Mamas is a fair trade clothing cooperative located in Ghana, West Africa supporting the sustainable development of women artisans by producing fair trade products. Global Mamas infuses business social responsibility in all aspects of our work while promoting fair trade clothing for women in Ghana, West Africa. Buying the fair trade clothing of Global Mamas allows you to also support fair trade practices and sustainable development for people in Africa." Global Mamas
"Global Mamas is currently a cooperative of 26 small businesses in Ghana. With employees and apprentices, Global Mamas directly benefits over 150 people through producing hand-made clothing and accessories. New businesses will be included as more items are added to the Global Mamas product line."
Global Mamas

"Validating women’s economic independence through exporting high-quality handmade goods." Global Mamas


The following chichi sundresses will take you from a farmers market in the morning, to a brunch date with friends and -an evening at the trendiest bar, with your loved one....They are are made by Juliana Mustafa and Florence Thompson of the Cape Coast Batiking & Sewing Co-op.



Women's Sundress With Ties Coffee Bean Olive -A pretty and sophisticated sundress, - in light yellow and olive with elastic waist and belt and shoulder ties. (100% cotton. Machine wash & dry. Sizes S - XL.) $39.00 -Made by Juliana Mustafa and Florence Thompson
Women's Retro Dress Sunburst Bronze -A cute retro sundress with side zip and tie belt, in sunflower purple and sunburst bronze. (100% cotton. Machine wash & dry. Sizes S - XL. Please note -This dress is very small on top) $39.00 -Made by Juliana Mustafa
Women's Sundress With Ties Rings Wine -A pretty and sophisticated sundress in wine, with elastic waist, belt and shoulder ties. (100% cotton. Machine wash & dry. Sizes S - XL.)
$39.00 -Made by Florence Thompson and Eli-Emma (Elizabeth Ampiah & Emma Myers of the Cape Coast Batiking & Sewing Co-op. Please visit the website for more information)

The following Holiday Character Ornament are Ideal for a stylish Christmas Tree and a festive table setting....These unique handmade ornaments are made from hand-painted recycled glass beads and are made by Agnes Kwao and Comfort Amanor of the, - Fair Trade Center, Krobo Bead-Making Co-op.






Hanging Santa -Santa is red and white and approximately 5" tall. $9.00 -Made by Agnes
Standing Santa -Santa is red and white and approximately 5" tall and is mounted on a 2.5" star-shaped glass base. $12.00 -Made by Agnes
Hanging Angel -angel is yellow and white and approximately 5" tall. $9.00 -Made by Comfort
Standing Angel -The angel is yellow and white and approximately 5" tall and mounted on a 2.5" star-shaped glass base. $12.00 -Made by Comfort.


For more information about Global Mamas or to order goods or buy wholesale - please visit: www.globalmamas.org
Global Mamas
P.O. Box 18323
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55418
United States
Phone: 1.800.338.3032

Some of our talented sisters in the Global Mamas family:
Juliana Mustafa -Batiker (Cape Coast Batiking & Sewing Co-op)
"Juliana has been with the Global Mamas batiking team since July of 2005. She is talented and has established herself as one of the finest in Cape Coast. Juliana proudly calls herself a “mother first and a batiker second.” Juliana is the mother of 10-year-old Aisha and 8-year-old twins Bashir and Saky. Juliana is excited to be working with Global Mamas as she hopes that her affiliation will help her to, expand her business and give other women in Cape Coast hope for their futures by hiring additional apprentices and employees."

Florence Thompson -Batiker (Cape Coast Batiking & Sewing Co-op)
"Florence Thompson has been a seamstress for 20 years and prides herself on gaining new customers by always keeping herself and her four apprentices busy. Before joining the Global Mamas cooperative, Florence struggled to get enough work to start her own business and to support her growing family, and her electricity had been cut off for three months. Now Florence continues to create unique clothing and improve the neatness and quality of her work. She has learned book-keeping, and stays on track so that she knows exactly how her business is doing. From her success with Global Mamas, Florence has started paying off a loan that she had defaulted on for two years. Through her affiliation with Global Mamas, Florence has, tripled business revenue, sponsored four new apprentices and plans to open her own store.

Agnes Kwao -Bead Maker (Fair Trade Center, Krobo Bead-Making Co-op)
Former farmer, Agnes Kwao turned to Global Mamas in 1999 after the rains failed and she was left with no harvest. Agnes and her husband, a car-fitter, couldn't’t support their 4 children on what they earned so Agnes decided to learn how to make glass beads from her sister. After just 8 months she felt competent enough to branch out on her own and now, when business is good, she even employs her sister to help her out. Agnes sells her beads twice a month at a market in Koforidua, over an hours drive away from her home in Odumase-Krobo. The journey on public transport, with bags of heavy beads makes market days difficult so Agnes is delighted to be given the opportunity to sell her beads to Global Mamas, whose office is in Odumase-Krobo. With the extra money earned -Agnes hopes to give her children a good education (her daughter wants to be a nurse and she dreams of the three younger boys becoming a bank manager, a doctor and a craftsman to take over the family business). With the help of Global Mamas, Agnes hopes to buy a mobile phone to help with her business; -pay for her children’s education, save money for her old age and provide her mother with financial support.

Comfort Amanor - Bead Maker (Fair Trade Center, Krobo Bead-Making Co-op)
Comfort Amanor turned her hand to bead-making 11 years ago after many years exporting clothing and shoes from neighbouring Togo. She found all the traveling difficult, especially as a single mother of four. Now, Comfort can work from home and she is one of the few women prepared to make fiddly “seed” beads, the smallest glass beads made in the region. Most of her income goes to school fees for her children and buying materials for her beads, but she now earns enough money to help support her sister’s large family. Although Comfort puts in as many hours as she can making the beads, she has started a side-line raising pigs. Comfort dreams of saving enough money to build a house so she can move out of the two-roomed house that she and her family currently live in. She would like to one day open a school where she could teach bead making to underprivileged children. Although she doesn’t drive, she’d like to buy a truck to reduce her transport costs for bringing in firewood. Comfort even hopes to travel to the UK one day. With the help of Global Mamas Comfort has already; built her own oven for the production of glass beads at her house, paid for her children’s school fees and increased her earnings by around 50% in just 6 months. www.globalmamas.org

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