“I will know I have achieved prosperity when I have made enough opportunities for myself to achieve my goals.”

Meet Alice: Invited to partner with Global Mamas in 2005 by one of Global Mamas' former volunteers, Alice is one of the few Mamas who has worked as both a seamstress and a batiker for an extended period of time. To Alice, sewing is both an occupation and a passion. She has earned a strong reputation among her customers for the timely and high-quality products she provides with support from Global Mamas. Sewing is also a family business for Alice, who employs a handful of family members. After a day of sewing, Alice unwinds by listening to gospel music.

“Being a seamstress is not just my job, it is my hobby. I really love it.”

“To me, prosperity is dependent on my work. When I have many apprentices training under me, I will be prosperous.”

Meet Bessie: Producing a variety of items such as tablecloths, placemats, napkins, potholders, and headbands, Bessie has a passion for sewing and a passion for Global Mamas. “I love working with Global Mamas because I am always busy,” she said. Part of the organization since 2003, Bessie cannot choose a favorite product that she makes – she likes them all. Providing for her three kids, Bessie not only sends them to school, but also cooks for them. “I like cooking for my children, you know, because everybody likes food. Everybody!” she said. One day, Bessie hopes to move production out of her home and own a shop in Cape Coast.

“I’d rather be working than relaxing. I love being busy, sewing products, never sitting down.”

Charlotte Bart-Plange has been dedicated to a career since she first took sewing classes in elementary school, and after 35 years of being a seamstress Charlotte still says, “I love it.” This Mama enjoys exploring her creative side as a seamstress by inventing new designs and adding unique touches to each of her pieces. Though this range of talent attracts a broad client base, it was the additional income and support from Global Mamas that allowed Charlotte to send her son to University. She beams when she says her son graduated in Finance and now holds a good job in Accra. Now Charlotte wants to help even more people, telling us that, “I would like to make my hometown nice and beautiful.”

Comfort is only 26, but she has already set up her own sewing business, Prince of Light. By the time she arrives for work at 9 am, the one-room workshop has been opened and swept by her two apprentices – Hannah and Sarah. Their workbenches and hand-driven sewing machines spill out of the room onto a tiny shaded verandah. The premises of Prince of Light may be small but Comfort is proud to own – not rent – the workshop.

At the moment, Comfort divides her time between making tops for Global Mamas and private commissions. She enjoys designing her own clothes, but the walls of the workshop are plastered with posters of different styles for customers to choose from as well.

Evenings are generally spent at home with her mother and sister. Supper is normally a bowl of tuo zafi, a traditional Ghanaian food staple Comfort calls TZ . It's a doughy mixture of ground maize, ground cassava, and water served with a vegetable-based stew. After supper, Comfort particularly enjoys watching Nollywood movies, straight-to-video films produced in rapid turnover in Nigeria. When she's not watching TV, Comfort enjoys listening to Gospel music and spends all of Sunday mornings at her local Catholic church.

“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.”

“To me prosperity is working hard. When you do your work, you prosper. Global Mamas has helped because at the end of the day, I have more profit.”

Meet Deborah: Deborah grew up in a community of seamstresses and came to Global Mamas at the recommendation of her friend, a fellow Mama. Now, Deborah creates gift and laundry bags for Global Mamas. Not only is she a full-time seamstress but she’s a full-time mom. When she gets a chance to relax at home, Deborah likes to watch cartoons with her two sons. She hopes to give them the best education because, as she says, “If a child has a good education, he will have more opportunities.” Deborah has made it a priority to take advantage of the opportunities she’s had in life, and she is proud to be an entrepreneur, owning her own shop.

Deborah describes her greatest personal achievement: “When you own your own shop, oh that one – anything can happen!”

“To me, prosperity is taking small steps toward happiness.”

Meet Deborah: For Deborah, success is incremental. She views her business as a seamstress as a series of small accomplishments that, after years of hard work, will lead her to prosperity. “Moving from one step to another is the key to my happiness, and happiness is my goal.” She pursued her dream of becoming a seamstress by attending a vocational school where she was able to develop many specialized techniques that helped to elevate her as a master seamstress. When not working and goal setting, Deborah enjoys banku and okru stew, her favorite Ghanaian foods. She encourages Americans and Europeans to try these foods as well, because “they will be surprised how delicious Ghana’s food is.”

“My proudest achievement since joining Global Mamas is the creative designs I’ve come up with for bags and dresses.”

Elizabeth “Esi” Arkaah hit the ground running after she learned how to sew, opening her own shop and working hard to make it what it is today—a bustling place where multiple apprentices and employees help Esi with enough work to keep them busy all day. Esi loves that Global Mamas carries her products across the globe and wishes her business to improve all the time, not for her own sake but for the benefit of her loved ones. “I want to build a big house in a quiet neighborhood,” she tells us, “I want all my children to go to university and get their masters [degrees]. I also want to buy my own car and help my family.”

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.

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.

“To me, prosperity is happiness and being educated.”

Meet Elsie: A dreamer, Elsie loves to dream of travelling to South Africa. She admires South African dances and festivals. Elsie admits that she even draws inspiration from South African fashion. A seamstress in Cape Coast, Elsie joined Global Mamas when she was introduced to Wisdom, a Cape Coast employee. Since, Global Mamas has supplied her with men’s shirt orders which greatly increases her business, she says. When not sewing men’s shirts, Elsie loves listening to Hill Songs, her favorite gospel group. Her favorite food is rice and light soup.

“My proudest achievement is using my business to pay rent and support my junior brother in school.”

Esther Gyepi-Garbrah has come far from when she started working as a seamstress in her bedroom, using a borrowed manual sewing machine. After dealing with customers who delayed payment and export partners who cheated her, Esther is grateful for the reliable business that comes from working with Global Mamas. With her perseverance and dependable work ethic, Esther has maintained a loyal customer base and taught many apprentices over the years. “Through Global Mamas, I have been able to achieve my dream of helping people.” She says, “Before Global Mamas, my income was limited and I could not afford to help others. I will always appreciate that Global Mamas has helped me help others. They have helped a lot. They have done their best.”

“To me prosperity is to being able to work so I can earn money and make a good living.”

Meet Felicia: After Felicia started working with one of the Mamas, she decided to join the community as a seamstress herself. She mainly sews baby blankets and the explorer bag, working in her house on a small hill farther away from the business of the market. Since she first started working with Global Mamas, her sewing skills have improved and she has become a much more efficient producer. Through the training provided by Global Mamas, she has learned more about book keeping and managing her money. With her savings, she was able to buy a new sewing machine and open her own bank account.

Felicia has three kids: a 3 year-old, an 8 year old, and a 17 year old. When she’s not sewing and taking care of her children, she sells onions. Even though she spends most of her time working, she’s passionate about what she does. She would also love to sew more in order to develop her skills as well as to grow her business.

“To me prosperity is buying my industrial sewing machine. It helps me to do my work fast.”

Meet Florence: A seamstress, Florence took the advice of a friend and former Mama to apply to work with Global Mamas. Since starting with the organization, Florence has perfected the design and construction of the weekend bag. She hopes to save enough money to buy more machines and expand her business in the future. In her spare time, she listens to Gospel music and dreams of building a new house where she and her husband can enjoy fufu and light soup on Sunday afternoons.

“I want to open a big shop and have apprentices and more customers and to produce more Global Mama products.”

Before partnering with Global Mamas, Florence Thompson knew she had what it took to be a successful seamstress, but her economic situation made it difficult. Florence was forced to default on a loan and go without electricity for months because she did not have enough money to pay the bills, but all of that changed when she started working with Global Mamas. With over 20 years of sewing experience and the financial jumpstart she needed, today Florence is able to continually improve the quality of her products, do her own bookkeeping, pay her family’s utilities and school fees, and dream for their future. "I pray that one child will be a doctor, one will be a pilot and one will be a journalist," she says.

“Prosperity means bringing people together. After that, you prosper by working and being serious about everything you are doing.”

Meet Gina: She is a mother first and a businesswoman second. Her business as a seamstress allows her to enroll all of her children in school. She would love for her firstborn to be a doctor, a dream she has long held. Gina would like all of her children to prosper by taking jobs that are “interesting, studious, and pay well.” Gina fondly remembers the day that a Global Mamas representative visited her shop and asked if she would be interested in partnering with Global Mamas. “Of course, I accepted.”

“My proudest personal accomplishment is making sure that each of my children can have an education.”

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.

“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.”

“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.”

Grace “Araba” Koufie’s life is filled with activity—in her busy home, her busy workshop, and the busy open air market near where she lives in Cape Coast. Though she started her seamstress business several years before becoming a Mama, her partnership with Global Mamas allowed Grace to pay off debt and start saving. Now, she earns enough money to cover regular school fees and medical expenses as well as support family members in need. In her own words, "Global Mamas has helped me a lot. Before Global Mamas, I stayed at home doing nothing, but they have provided me with regular business and a regular income.” Grace dreams big—hoping to one day open a bigger shop for more employees and build a bigger home for her family.

Grace Adoboe had a winding path to her current occupation as a Cape Coast business owner and seamstress for Global Mamas. Grace was born in the Volta Region and lived in Togo for a decade before returning to Ghana to establish her shop in Accra. Now Grace is finally settled with her business and family in Cape Coast, where she acknowledges, “I am a busy lady.” This Mama’s main focus is school uniforms and her main priority is customer satisfaction, as she often sacrifices her personal time to get a job done and ensure it is done correctly. This strategy has paid off for Grace, and she explains that, “Global Mamas has helped a lot. With my income, I can help my family and my husband.”

“My prosperity is not only financial, but involves health, community, religion, family, and sharing. Sharing my prosperity makes me prosper.”

Meet Hannah: One of the six Ghanaian co-founders, Hannah has helped shape Global Mamas into the organization it is now. Hannah is a seamstress who creates styles from her broad range of experiences abroad. She draws on her knowledge from Ghana, America and Germany where she learned to sew in 1976. Six years after learning to sew, she opened a shop in Cape Coast where her family resides. When not working, Hannah enjoys scrapbooking and reminiscing over her time on business trips abroad. And while her business has brought her prosperity, she maintains that her comfort and well-being come from more than just her job.

“If I have ever achieved, it has been because I share my talents with others. When I share my talents, it makes me happy. So I share my happiness with others.”

“I will be prosperous when I do not need anything, apart from needing God. To me, prosperity means living responsibly and happily.”

Meet Isabella: A seamstress that specializes in men’s fitted shirts, Isabella joined Global Mamas due to a friend’s recommendation. Since joining the organization, Isabella is very proud to be able to pay her rent while also sending her own daughter and her brother’s daughter to school. “I hope that my kids graduate school with flying colors to become prominent people,” she said. In her spare time, Isabella enjoys knitting, cooking banku (with extra spice!) and listening to gospel music. Self-described as “always happy,” Isabella is never without a laugh or a smile.

“Ghana is a great place. I feel proud that the things that I’ve done here in Ghana have reached so far around the world.”

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.

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.”

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.

A step into Molly Djan’s apartment block and it reveals the organized chaos of her life as a Global Mama. Several sewing machines whir through patterned dresess and reversible aprons while an apprentice irons finished work and friends stop by to say hello. Molly is busy all day in Cape Coast while she fills orders, manages her current employees, and trains new ones; she is busy on the weekends too when she travels an hour and a half to visit her family in Winneba. This activity energizes Molly, as she tells us “I am proud of my work and giving my niece the opportunity to go to university.”

Philomina Stephens enjoys her work as a seamstress and shop owner, but what she loves about being a Mamas is knowing that the products she sews travel all over the world. It means a lot to Philomina that her name is written on the tags of the clothing she works so hard to sew. Realizing this tag also makes her accountable for her products, Philomina demands high standards from herself and from her employees. These standards have brought her a growing client base and the opportunity to open her own shop, as she says, “Global Mamas has helped a lot. Income is good from Global Mamas.”

Sabina Assimoku is a good listener with a gentle and confident manner, traits that make her both a good mother and a successful business owner. Though she started sewing more than five years before joining Global Mamas, Sabina was able to increase her income, rent a workshop, and hire employees after becoming a Mama. Sabina is grateful that Global Mamas helps her business as well as her family, allowing her a paid maternity leave and providing her the salary she uses to pay school fees. In the future, Sabina wants to expand even further, but for now she looks lovingly at her baby son as she reflects, “Global Mamas has changed my life a lot. Global Mamas has improved my financial situation a lot.”

“The key to prosperity is letting everything go and being cordial with people. When you do this, you will help others more than you will ever know.”

Meet Sabina: A seamstress since 1975, Sabina learned to sew from her mother. After learning to sew, Sabina worked as the secretary for the Minister of Health in the Western Region of Ghana. During her time as a secretary, Sabina never stopped sewing. In 2008, Sabina joined Global Mamas with the help of a Peace Corps volunteer. She now designs custom clothing targeting tourists. Sabina draws inspiration from American films, carefully observing what popular actors are wearing in movies and replicating these outfits as best she can. Sabina’s proudest achievement since joining Global Mamas is that women around the world wear her clothing.

“It makes me very proud that women from all over visit me at my shop and say, ‘Wow! You are Sabina! You’re clothing makes me very, very happy.’”

Sarah Aggrey plans for the future with each decision she makes, and is grateful to see her pragmatism pay off. Sarah took up sewing almost 20 years ago because she believe it would provide her with a secure source of income, but when she found herself with sole responsibility for her daughter, she needed a new plan. After hearing about Global Mamas, Sarah decided it would be in her best interest to join. Since then, Global Mamas has enabled Sarah to expand her business, support herself, and help her daughter pay for school. “I am proud to be able to send my daughter to nursing school,” she says.

“I will know I have achieved prosperity when I can build a house on my land. I know Global Mamas will help me to get the money I need.”

Meet Sarah: A seamstress, Sarah first heard about Global Mamas when helping her friend and fellow Mama batik new product designs. Since becoming a Mama herself, Sarah has earned enough money through her Global Mamas orders to put her three children through university and to expand her seamstress shop by purchasing extra machines and training apprentices. Any volunteers who stay with her are greeted with a big smile and an open heart. Teaching the volunteers how to wash laundry and make local foods are experiences she says she will never forget. When not working, Sarah listens to Gospel music and dreams of the house she will one day build on her land.

To everyone around the world wearing her products, Sarah says, “I would tell my customers I am happy now because of Global Mamas. Now I can support myself because I have too become a somebody.”

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.