Gretchen On the Go: 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!