Welcome to our annual Global Mama of the Year Celebration! Since 2008, we have recognized the hard work of the Mamas and staff with Awards of Excellence. This is also a time when we recognize those in our community who exemplify our mission and values. This year we’re also celebrating …
To reduce our environmental impact, Global Mamas made an active decision to incorporate eco-friendly practices into all aspects of production as we continue to positively impact the lives of hundreds of African women and their families. In fact, we’ve recently declared ourselves not only Global Mamas, but also Eco-Mamas. As Eco-Mamas …
October is Fair Trade Month. “Fair trade” means that an equitable partnership exists between producers of goods in developing countries and retailers in developed countries. The fair trade approach supports a variety of social business practices that advocate for higher standards in regard to producers’ pay, work atmosphere, and environmental …
Global Mamas is proud to be a finalist for the 2022 MIDA (Mohammad Islam Design Award). Our Water Hyacinth Wallet in Adobe Gold, will be featured at the upcoming World Fair Trade Organization Summit in Berlin. The Water Hyacinth Wallet is the newest addition to the Fibers of Change Collection …
Global Mamas Becomes Finalist in 2022 MIDA Award Read More »
Interview by Marketing Manager, Malik Abdoul, May 2022 My name is Daniel Baflo. I am 43 and I am the Lead Batiker for Global Mamas at the Fair Trade Zone (FTZ). When I was growing up, my father was a commercial driver. He worked under government transportation, and my mother …
Interview by batik designer Nick Ruffalo. Cape Coast Ghana, July 2021. My name is Grace Adoboe, and I am a seamstress with Global Mamas in Cape Coast, Ghana. When I was young, I lived in a village with my parents and siblings in the Volta Region. My parents were farmers, and …
My name is Edith Ahortor, and I am a papermaker in the water hyacinth department at the Fair Trade Zone (FTZ) for Global Mamas. Growing up, my mother was a hairdresser. She didn’t have a traditional shop where people came, but if people needed their hair braided they would call …
From luxury brands to fast fashion, the fashion industry is well known for its negative impact on the environment. To reduce our environmental impact, Global Mamas has made an active decision to incorporate eco-friendly practices while positively impacting the lives of hundreds of African women. Beyond the sound fair trade …
After a decade of fundraising, and with the help of generous donations from our support network, we were finally able to complete our first buildings at the Fair Trade Zone (FTZ) at the end of 2021. Last month, we officially made the FTZ our new home! The FTZ houses production …
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we wanted to highlight how we’re leading the way in creating a fairer world. We’re leading the way in capacity building Global Mamas believes in gender equality and social inclusion in our work and communities. We believe that aside from economic empowerment, the acquisition …
Greetings friends. As we continue to press on in the new year, we wanted to take a moment to pause and share an update with you. First, the good news. Our 2022 Collection will be making its debut at the NYNOW Wholesale Expo (Feb. 6-10) and then filling up retail spaces …
As seasons change, we know our customers get excited watching our new product lines emerge, and we are just as thrilled to share them. We strive for innovation and creativity with each new design, and when our customers and friends appreciate that it puts smiles on our faces. The 2021 …
PRESSING ON: Overcoming Supply Chain Disruptions Read More »
Interview by batik designer Nick Ruffalo. Cape Coast Ghana, April 2020. “My name is Jennifer Thompson and I’m a seamstress in Cape Coast, Ghana. I have been sewing for nearly 24 years; 10 years partnering with Global Mamas. Growing up, my mother was a trader and my father was a …
Clockwise: Melanie Popowich, team reviewing initial ideas for Fair Trade Zone, a view of the first building, and the staff from the Akuse office visiting the new building. We are exceptionally thrilled to share with our fantastic community that we FINALLY have a building on our land! Before we give …
Breaking Ground and Building Up at the Fair Trade Zone Read More »
“My name is Alice, I am a seamstress in Cape Coast and have sewn many items for Global Mamas for the past 16 years. I have always had an interest in fashion, so I decided to go to school for it and later on took an apprenticeship. “When I was …
“How Much is Your Foreign Staff Paid?” This post was inspired by inquiries we receive periodically, wondering how we operate as an international NGO and how our fair trade values are implemented across the globe. Recently we were asked how the wages of the staff in Ghana compare to those …
As an international brand in an increasingly digital world our website is an integral hub for operations. It’s where newcomers learn about our work, where volunteers and donors engage with our mission, and where wholesale and retail customers shop the products that facilitate our impact. Our ads, social media, emails, …
Giving Tuesday 2020: Fundraising For Our Operational Hub Read More »
Akuse, a town near the Volta River in Ghana’s Eastern Region, is home to Global Mamas’ newest eco initiative. In collaboration with local communities our team is using invasive water hyacinth as the raw material for an all-new collection of natural fiber products. Known locally as the “poison flower,” the …
Educating Communities on Rights to Natural Resources Read More »
Water hyacinth, a profuse natural resource that we are using as the base material for our new Fibers of Change collection, is known around the world for it’s aggressive growth. Certain species of hyacinth are known to double their size in just two weeks – meaning an initial ten plants …
With the unwavering support of our community, Global Mamas keeps pressing for gender equality for women in Ghana. We believe greater balance of power depends on greater economic independence for women– you can read more about this issue here. Beyond the direct opportunities we’ve provided for hundreds of women over …
Krista Zolton, Volunteer Dreaming of a dress you can wear to virtually any occasion? Our Eli Dress, a bestselling style for 2017 is perfect for you! With a cowl neckline and A-line bodice, it’s a unique take on the traditional style. Dress it up for work, or down for a …
Sæunn Gísladóttir, Marketing Volunteer Every five years the United Nations puts out the World’s Women Report, a comprehensive study based on data gathered by national and international statistical agencies that looks at the worldwide status of women in comparison to men on a broad range of topics– from education to …
By Patience Treve Each year, we celebrate the Mama who most exemplified our values in the last year: strength of community, long-term commitment, innovation, economic self-sufficiency, and creating positive change. Our Winners This year, we have not one but two winners: Grace Doku and Moses Buernortey. A brother-and-a sister team …
Global Mamas Celebrates our Mama (and Papa) of the Year Read More »
Maggie O’Neill, volunteer Global Mamas welcomed Dr. Justice Arthur—a Chief Doctor from Cape Coast’s District Hospital—to educate our Mamas, their apprentices, and QC staff about cervical cancer. This is part of Global Mamas’ multi-faceted initiative to help its members achieve multi-dimensional prosperity, prosperity that goes beyond financial well-being and business …
At Global Mamas we take prosperity seriously. It is, after all, our mission. We believe that prosperity goes beyond financial well-being to also encompass both health and happiness. We have learned over the last eleven years that what these three states of being mean are relative to every person. But …
2014 Reflections from the Global Mamas Leadership Team Read More »
Alice Grau, creative director Global Mamas is dedicated to delivering fair trade, handmade, and stylish clothing, accessories, and home décor. In addition to the Mamas who produce our products, our talented design team plays an integral role in bringing you the products you love. Unlike large fashion brands that have …
This January, the Global Mamas family lost a piece of our heart with the passing of our most treasured and loved “small girl,” Melanie Popowich.
This year, we watched you share Global Mamas’ hopes and dreams with your friends, co-workers and families.
Many people would not typically think about who made a product or where it came from upon purchasing an item. Nor would they trace the product to its source. A volunteer, Katie Modley, had the unique opportunity to meet the Global Mamas that made the products that she wears and sells.
The Global Mamas slogan ‘Love Your Product, Know Your Producer, Change Her Life’ is firmly embodied in every sketch, stamp, and stitch from the initial design idea to the finished product.
More than 60 Global Mamas, volunteers and staff members came together to donate their time cleaning up Cape Coast’s bustling Kotokraba Market on Saturday, June 25, 2011.
Global Mamas has been operating in the Krobo area for more than five years. As with all new ventures, the bead operation started off relatively small while we learned the market and ensured that the products we exported met the high quality standards our customers expect from Global Mamas.
The story goes the Belanda Hitam, Malay for Black Dutchman, brought batik to West Africa in the mid-nineteenth century after serving as indentured soldiers for the Dutch in Indonesia.
The economy of Ajumako is mainly agricultural and before Global Mamas many of the women were employed through that sector and were not making a steady income. The Ampiah-Ajumako Business Center opened in January 2008 with 3 workers and has now grown to employ 11 women.
Bead making is an industry that has long been a part of the West African culture. In the ancient times, beads served a myriad of functions: some were used as a form of currency for goods between tribes, whereas others adorned chiefs and their wives to indicate their wealth and status.
When it comes to personal care, women want what is best. Every year the United States spends over 8 billon dollars on women’s cosmetics and the figure continues to grow each year. This massive consumption speaks to the universal desire of women to take care of their skin and body.
Sweden sent us off to Africa with one of the coldest days in Gothenborg, -10C. Ghana welcomed us with open arms, to a balmy evening of 29C. That is how the adventure started for us – Tomas, the Fair Trade Educator / Photographer, and I, the Fair Trade Agent for Global Mamas in the “north pole”, aka Scandinavia.
2010 is around the corner and Global Mamas has exciting news to share. Global Mamas is expanding its line of products to include our four legged friends! Global Mamas will be launching a wonderful fair trade line of pet products in 2010.
On August 1, 2008 Global Mamas launched a new store in the touristic Osu area of Accra. One year later we are very excited to share our great success with you.
In an effort to better serve its growing number of retail partners, the Global Mamas shopping site was converted to a wholesale site in 2009. As a result, Trade for Change was launched to continue the online retail sales of Global Mamas products to consumers, and generate more orders and additional income for the Global Mamas network of fair trade producers in Ghana.
About one year ago, the Global Mamas wholesale distributor in Minneapolis, MN thought of a creative way to invite the local community into the Global Mamas experience: The Second Saturday Sale.
On May 22, 2009 Global Mamas kicked off the 2008 awards season at Odumase-Krobo to recognize outstanding members of the Global Mamas network. The O-K Annual Meeting took place at 1 pm at the Madizu Fair Trade Company. The meeting was well attended by bead makers, bead assemblers, and Global Mama volunteers and friends.
Ally Harris has been an employee for Global Mamas in the U.S. for over a year. This September she had the opportunity to come to Ghana and learn more about the how the complex production of Global Mamas batik apparel and accessories works.
No one is entirely sure when bauxite beadmaking came to Abompe in Ghana’s Eastern Region. Over the years, a story has developed that has become, for many, an acceptable surrogate for the truth.
On August 1, 2008 Global Mamas launched a new store in the Osu area of Accra. The store represents the creative talent and dedication of Matthew Sturm and Megan Collins who designed and launched the store in less than one month.
Penetrating new markets is never easy, however it is not impossible, as any of the women of the Global Mamas Cooperative will tell you. Step by step, and connection by connection, GM has finally gotten its name, reputation, and unique style to the streets of the UK.
After two tro-tro rides and a taxi, anyone, no matter how well traveled, would be worn out; however, within a few minutes upon arriving at Ajumako-Ampiah – a small village on the outskirts of Ajumako – the community’s friendly and energetic atmosphere instills itself upon us, and we begin to revive.
In August 2006, Global Mamas expanded to Odumase-Krobo in the Eastern Region to begin producing marketing fair-trade, recycled glass Ghanaian beads and beaded products. With a $16,000 grant from the British High Commission, Global Mamas was able to pay for the Co-operative’s start-up costs.
