Meet the Mamas by Location

Batiking & Sewing (Cape Coast)

Cape Coast is home to our largest production location and was the first Global Mamas location. It was here that our founding Mamas came together in 2003 to produce the first Global Mamas product line. Today the Cape Coast Global Mamas community comprises nearly 100 independent, women-owned businesses. In Cape Coast our Mamas are batikers and seamstresses who work from their own shops or from their homes.

Martha Rhule, Batiker (Cape Coast, Ghana)

“To me, prosperity is working hard and getting more money for my family.”

Meet Martha: Martha began her business as both a batiker and seamstress, selling products out of her workshop. After Melanie Popowich introduced her to Global Mamas, she consolidated her business to only batiking. Early on in her career with Global Mamas, many of Martha’s products were rejected due to patchy coloring. But other Mamas convinced her to not give up – and she’s glad she didn’t! Martha practiced and developed her skill, and her hard work paid off. She won the Batikers Award at the 2010 Design Competition for her pebble pattern and was named the Global Mama of the Year in 2014. Martha is now able to pay her rent with ease thanks to Global Mamas, and she has taken in one employee and many apprentices. She hopes to continue producing batik for Global Mamas and to earn enough money to help her seven nieces and nephews complete their educations.

Gloria Amanful, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

“To me prosperity, is achieving whatever you want to do in the future”

Meet Gloria: As a mother of a six years old girl, Gloria’s main happiness is to see her daughter healthy and successful. The stable income she has earned since working with Global Mamas has enabled her to add money to her daughter’s savings account. Indeed, she works hard to save for her daughter so that she is able to cover her university fees and become a nurse. She is one of the women behind the handsome boy shirts and beautiful pocket dresses. She is delighted to know that customers from all over the world are buying her products. Gloria appreciates their loyalty—it makes it possible for all of the Mamas to live a better life.Apart from sewing for Global Mamas, she sews uniforms for the University of Cape Coast.

As an ambitious woman, her dream is to open and manage her own clothing factory and keep developing as a seamstress and as an entrepreneur. She remarks: “I am proud of my work and proud of not begging from others.”

Gladys Annan, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

“To me prosperity is getting a steady income “

Meet Gladys: Gladys began her career by working as an apprentice for a Mama for two and a half years. Once she felt confident enough to manage her own business, she joined the Global Mama’s family as a Mama herself. Since 2013, this talented seamstress has owned own shop. Beaming, she claims that “Global Mamas is the biggest change in my life.” Not just a Mama, but also mother of three kids who are in school, Gladys states that Global Mamas is the permanent income she earns in order to provide for her children. Gladys feels very proud of the fact that her products are being appreciated and bought from people all over the world. She is one of the women behind the patchwork wallet and zip wristlet. In addition to being a part of the Global Mamas network, Gladys owns her own shop where she produces dresses for the local market. She loves her job and dreams about being able to develop her business even more.

“My dream is to buy my own land and build a house.”

Vida Donkoh, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

Vida Donkoh has always been a self-starter, choosing by herself to start a career as a seamstress before working on her own. When she struggled to pay her bills, Vida’s sister suggested that Global Mamas could help her gain financial independence like they have for so many other women. Since following this advice, Vida is now making enough money to save for her dreams and child's future education. Her favorite part about this partnership is working with good and trustworthy people, along with the satisfaction of the finished product. “Global Mamas has helped me a lot and made me happy.” She says, “The income earned is good and steady, and I like the way Global Mamas staff talks with me.”

Christina Pufuaba, Batiker (Cape Coast, Ghana)

“To me, prosperity is when you are hardworking. If you are not hardworking, you cannot prosper. You will be the same as you were.”

Meet Christina: Christina identifies deeply with her work; when asked to describe herself in one word, Christina simply answered “batiker.” After schooling, she was employed to batik under another Global Mama. Through skill and hard work, she was able to join Global Mamas herself in 2011. Her favorite pattern to produce is pineapple, saying “If you give me thousands of yards that need to be pineapples, I will do it in one week for you. I love that design!” Christina’s proudest accomplishment is saving enough money to purchase a tin roof for her batiking workshop, allowing her to stamp patterns in the rain. In her free time, Christina loves to visit the elderly of her church and sing to them.

“I dream for my children, I’ll help them during their education to help them go higher. I work for my children.”

Elizabeth Asem, Batiker (Cape Coast, Ghana)

“To me, prosperity is achieving all good that is pertaining to life.”

Meet Elizabeth: Elizabeth first heard about Global Mamas through a friend and has been a Mama since 2012. When she started as an independent seamstress, she found most of her work to have unreliable pay. She has since found more security in pay and work since batiking for Global Mamas. Global Mamas has already helped Elizabeth support her family; she is now able to help her husband to pay for her two kids to go through school and onto University. Elizabeth is also able to pay the fees for her sister’s nursing school. Her daughter, Gifty, helps Elizabeth with her batiking. Gifty hopes to one day be a teacher, but is happy to be working with the Mamas today. In the future, Elizabeth is planning to save money in order to build herself a workshop at her house.

To her customers who are wearing her masterpieces, Elizabeth urges you to “Keep on wearing the African way!”

Emma Myers, Co-Founder & Batiker (Cape Coast, Ghana)

Emma and Elizabeth were a dynamic duo from the beginning, forging a fast friendship as employees on an assembly line 23 years ago and enrolling in Batiking School together. After graduation they opened “Eli-Emma Batik & Tye-Dye,” but when batiking became a highly competitive industry in Ghana, the store struggled as larger customers delayed their payment for months. All of this changed when Emma and Eli became founding members of Global Mamas, setting an example of hard work and smart business for all future Mamas. Nearly ten years and many orders later, Eli and Emma remain model Mamas while supporting families of their own. Voicing the very mission of Global Mamas, Eli and Emma share that, “we are proud to be independent women.”

Jennifer Benedicta Ocran, Batiker (Cape Coast, Ghana)

Jennifer Benedicta Ocran is a born entrepreneur and will do what it takes to make her career goals a reality. She attended more than a year of batik schooling to earn her certification, and then worked in tie-dye to earn enough income to invest in her own expensive batik equipment. Now that she has established herself as a successful batiker and Global Mama, Jennifer is pursuing her dream of opening a catering and wedding planning business. She attends catering school while continuing the work that pays for her education, splitting her days between batiking, going to class, studying, and helping out friends and family members. Jennifer beams when she talks about her success so far and her big business plans for the future, “With God on our side we can do all number of things.”

Faustina Antwi, Batiker (Cape Coast, Ghana)

A native of Cape Coast, Faustina Antwi is one of the most educated batikers working for Global Mamas. She completed her tertiary education at Kunst University, located in Kumasi. Although majoring in textiles, she gravitated towards batiking. She enjoys the creative dimension involved and likes working with the many colors. She lives and works out of the home that she grew up in, living with her parents and sister. Here she has a substantial amount of space where she and her apprentice can work and she can also save money to pay back her college loans. Faustina was drawn to the philosophy of Global Mamas and appreciates their efforts in providing a comprehensive education for all of their women. She has personally taken an interest in bookkeeping and the general methods of efficiency, applying both to her business. The future looks bright for Faustina, as she hopes to attain her Masters degree in textiles and open subsequent shops that will generate a significant output.

Jennifer Thompson , Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

Jennifer Thompson is a woman with a quiet voice but a loud heart. She learned how to sew in the small village where she was born. Recently, this hobby turned into a career when she teamed up with Global Mamas. Jennifer's husband passed away, leaving her to care for and support her three children. Jennifer recalls this time in her life and tearfully remembers, "Global Mamas has been the most important thing in my life, because they were the only ones to help me when my husband died. Global Mamas is a great company, because they help many women and they saved me. To me, Global Mamas means 'great mother'." Through Global Mamas Jennifer has learned about book-keeping, financial independence, and finance responsibility. These new skills, along with the orders she gets from Global Mamas, have nearly doubled Jennifer's income and has enabled her to dream of accomplishing even bigger things. Jennifer hopes to be a "big woman" who has multiple shops and is able to train others to be seamstresses. She also dreams of being able to buy a school so that she can provide children with a proper education without the burden of school fees. On the seldom occasion when Jennifer is not working, she enjoys singing songs and simply going to the seaside and watching the ocean.

Elizabeth Abena Andorful, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

Elizabeth Abena Andorful grew up wanting to learn a trade and soon after she first began sewing Elizabeth recognized her love for it. Elizabeth feels that if she could be doing anything, she would still take the path that she has that lead her to be a seamstress. After apprenticing and working four years for another seamstress, Elizabeth decided to be an independent seamstress. She rented a small place for living and is using the porch as a sewing center, which she named Saint Teresa's Fashion. Renting this space marked what Elizabeth sees as her happiest day. Having her own living space and being a Global Mama since summer of 2009 has allowed Elizabeth to care for and support the most important people to her – her two sons. Elizabeth hopes to one day go back to fashion school and then open her own shop with everything that she learns.

Ellen Amartey, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

If you ask Ellen Hudges Amartey, she will make sure that you know she is a dressmaker rather than a seamstress. She adamantly describes her occupation as such, because she wants people to recognize the devotion that goes into every dress that she makes. Ellen Amartey has been practicing the skills of a dressmaker since she was in Senior High School and loves everything about sewing, from the beginning cuts to the end product. Ellen works out of her home on the campus of Holy Child, where her husband is a teacher. With the help of two workers and an apprentice, Ellen's machines are constantly in use. In the rare times when Ellen is not sewing or busy with her two children, she likes to read. Ellen hopes to one day establish her own dressmaking school, through which she can teach the younger generation what she has learned about the trade.

Theresa Mensah, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

Theresa joined Global Mamas in 2009. After completing a one year apprenticeship, she was able to open her own dressmaking shop. Theresa is a wife and a mother of three girls who are all in school. With money she has earned since joining Global Mamas, she fixed her broken sewing machine and bought a television and DVD player for her family. She enjoys cooking and being with her family in her free time. She hopes in the future to be able to buy her own apartment and to be able to buy new clothes for herself.

Matilda Mills, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

Matilda became a seamstress because she wanted to express her independent style. She joined Global Mamas in January 2010, after founding her business two years before. Matilda now employs one worker and two apprentices. With the income she earns from her dressmaking shop she supports her parents and five siblings. Matilda enjoys singing in her free time. She dreams of being a "big woman" someday with her own car and house.

Cynthia Essiaw, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

“I will know I have achieved prosperity each and every year! At the end of each year, I will look at my accomplishments and find what I have done that year to be prosperous.”

Meet Cynthia: A Mama since 2010, Cynthia is a seamstress that specializes in making men’s fitted shirts. She went to school for some time after joining Global Mamas, taking time to learn high-quality stitching. Through her time working with the organization, she has been able to support her younger sister through secondary education. She describes herself as “calm,” and is quick to laugh and make a joke. “If I could talk to someone across the world that is wearing my clothes,” she said, “I would tell them they look good!” Cynthia enjoys cooking palm nut soup and attending church with her husband.

“I push myself towards perfection in my stitching; sewing for Global Mamas has made me a better seamstress.”

Gifty Acquah, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

Gifty Acquah is one of the newest seamstresses to join Global Mamas and is busy creating the Medium Size Tote Bags. Growing up in Cape Coast, Gifty attended St. Mary's Vocational School in the nearby town of Elmina before becoming a year-long apprentice with a local seamstress. After working with Global Mamas for only two months, Gifty says she enjoys it a lot, even if it means working most days from morning until night. With her newfound success as a Global Mama, Gifty has put her added income towards the education of her three children, two boys and one girl. Her two eldest are currently working in Ghana's second largest city, Kumasi, while her twelve-year-old lives and goes to school in Cape Coast. Gifty hopes that Global Mamas will continue growing so that other women in the community will have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of trading goods internationally. She loves to design new clothes, but also would like more time to take up her favorite hobby of reading books. Despite the hard work, Gifty is sure to attend church every Sunday and enjoys spending time with her mother, who visits her home often.

Joanna Minnow, Seamstress (Cape Coast, Ghana)

Joanna Minnow has always used her talent to help others, beginning when she would make clothes for her friends and family as a young girl. When she started sewing as a career, Jennifer could barely afford her one sewing machine or the rent for her workspace, but then her friend introduced her to Global Mamas. Now that she works as a seamstress for Global Mamas, Joanna has her own apprentices, a handful of sewing machines and a weaving machine. Joanna is pleased not only with her successes but her ability to keep serving others. Joanna says that, “Global Mamas has provided me with plenty of work and regular income, allowing me to help the needy people in my church by providing them with food, clothes, and more. I love kids and I love to help them.”