Women in Progress & Global Mamas

Finally, a bit about work here in Ghana!

I recently read an eye opening book titled “The Road to Hell” (by Michael Maren) that highlights some of the inefficiencies and outright harm that international aid can cause when applied to an environment such as Africa that is difficult to monitor and often misunderstood by most of us in the Northern world.  So admittedly before arriving I wondered what kind of impact I would be making here.  After being in Ghana for a month now, I am positively impressed and very happy to be volunteering with Women in Progress.

 

Women in Progress is a non-profit organization that operates in Ghana with the support of a small office in the US.  The organization has helped local women in Ghana develop "Global Mamas", a brand of products (named after themselves) that can be marketed worldwide.  Global Mamas hand-made products include:  batiked fabric clothing and accessories, beaded jewelry, woven trivots and pet accessories, wallets and hand bags made out of recycled plastic trash, and shea butter soap.  Without the help of Women in Progress, the women were facing a declining local market for their handicrafts and were struggling to make a living.  Women in Progress links these women to the more abundant markets outside of Ghana and trains them to be successful independent business owners.

If you keep your eyes peeled, you might even come across one of their products at a store close to home.

Cindy (seamstress) with her 2 apprentices,

daughter and nephew

Selina hard at work

Kakra's apprentice is using newspaper to make patterns

Eli and Emma's quaint batik shop

Emma at work producing beautifully patterned fabric in her shop

Volunteers helping the quality control workers in the Cape Coast office

One of the great things about Global Mamas is that they are certified by both the Fair Trade Federation and the World Fair TradeOrganization.  This means that the organization follows a set of standard practices to ensure a safe and humane work environment.  For example, child labor laws are respected, women are paid a living wage, workers have access to water and bathrooms, and work-related health issues are paid for.  The topic of sweatshops is of hot debate and many argue that sweatshops are better than the alternative of no work.  In my opinion, there is no good excuse for neglecting the dignity of a human person.  If a business cannot operate profitably and treat its workers with respect at the same time, then it does not deserve to succeed.

Global Mamas happily strolling in the small village of Ajumako

Sara, one of the weavers in Ajumako, working on her loom

Global Mama weavers

 As a volunteer, here are a few other things that I appreciate about Women in Progress:

• Almost all employees live here in Ghana, and many are native Ghanaians
• Their model is focused on training and empowering local women; not handing out freebies that can easily disrupt the local economy
• They provide opportunities for people like me to volunteer and learn about Ghana first hand!
• It's a self-sustaining organization; they operate ongoing business entirely from earned revenue.  The small amount of money that comes from donations and grants (less than 10%) is used to expand their reach to support new groups of women.

More to come soon about the specific projects I am working on!

Discussing business matters with Hannah,

one of the original Global Mamas

Hannah's business has flourished since working with Global Mamas,

she now employs 16 workers

Hannah proudly shows us one of the bags

she produces for Global Mamas

 

Africa Day & Kakum National Park

My first week at the office was "a little work and a lot of play".  We were treated to a tour of Cape Coast on our first day, and learned that May 25th was a continental holiday - Africa Day (no work)!

Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the UN, commented: “On Africa Day, we recognize the people and promise of Africa.  Africa is the world's youngest continent; 70 per cent of the population is under the age of 30. Despite advances in education and economic growth, progress remains fragile, inequalities are widespread and young Africans face major difficulties in finding decent jobs and participating in decision-making.”

Here in Cape Coast (primarily a fishing town), some of the residents have shared their concern regarding childhood education.  Government funded education is available in Ghana through primary school.  After that, many families choose to send their children to work since the long-term benefits of education are less apparent compared to immediate sources of income.  Kakra kakra (little by little), people here are working tirelessly to change the culture.

To celebrate Africa Day, I traveled to Accra with some friends to watch an expedition football (aka soccer) game - Africa XI vs. World XI.  The game was hosted by Michael Essien (popular Chelsea player from Ghana) to raise awareness about peace in Africa.  Several famous players showed up to play.  Unfortunately, World XI won, but I couldn’t tell you the final score as we were hit with an enormous rain storm during the 2^nd half of the game.  It was unbelievable - rivers of water were flowing down the stadium steps!!

Ohene Djan Sports Stadium (Accra)



1st Half - Shine



2nd Half - Rain



Post-Game Party.
"Unless Tomorrow" is a common Ghanaian reply when you inquire about an order.. maybe it will be ready tomorrow

On Friday, the other volunteers and I headed out to camp at the nearby Kakum National Park.  We spent the night and woke early to trek across a series of 7 high-hanging canopy bridges above the forest.  The morning mist created a perfect atmosphere!

On our hike we encountered a range of extraordinary trees, starting with a single Black Ebony tree that supported the entire canopy bridge structure.  You can see in the pictures that some of the trees had roots that extended well over our heads!



Black Ebony Tree



Onyina Tree

Kirsten, Morgan, Nat (our guide), Rachel

 “Ka-Kum” is named after the sound that monkeys make.  We heard a monkey while on our hike, but it was too sly and we never caught a glimpse.  We did however get to play with some monkeys down the road at a monkey sanctuary.  The owners, Dennis and Annette, proudly showed us around their grounds.  What an amazing couple!  They moved to Ghana 8 years ago from Holland where they worked in the restaurant business.  Having no prior experience with animals, they came here and were moved to help endangered animals.  They now raise and breed monkeys, duikers (part of antelope family), snakes, turtles, and more!



Sorry, no bananas





Eeeek!