Design Competition

By Kristen Gallagher

WIP Receives Funding from The Australian High Commission

One of Global Mamas’ many successes this season was that it received $9,500 in funding from the Australian High Commission for The Revolving Raw Materials Inventory Project. The application for direct aid for small projects was submitted in July of 2006 and the funds were received the following December. The funding received is being used to purchase new dyes and machines for the women of Global Mamas and although the benefits to the women will not be immediate, they will be sustained on a long-term basis. Within the one-year funding period, Women in Progress plans to expand the program to include 12 new business which will lead this project to directly improve the lives of 288 women and girls in the Cape Coast area.

The money received by the Australian High Commission will be used in two major ways: One of the uses is to purchase larger quantities of dyes used to create the garments sold. Before receiving funding, the batikers would have to buy dyes in small quantities, due to the fact that they dyes are very expensive. This would cause product inconsistencies because of the varying qualities of the dyes. Now that the women can purchase large quantities upfront, the products will be made at a much higher standard of quality and consistency. This will bring in higher product margins and create happier customers.

The second part of the funding will be used to purchase the much-needed knitting/overlocking machines for the Global Mamas seamstresses. Currently, it is very difficult for them to keep the entirety of their products at the highest possible quality due to the lack of these machines. Their only option is to find kiosks in the Cape Coast market that will overlock the raw edges of the apparel. These new machines will lead to more consistent quality, less product rejection, and more satisfied customers. Additionally, it will enforce the idea of responsibility for the Global Mamas, as they will be solely responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of their own machines. “Product efficiency and quality have improved immensely,” says co-founder Kristin Johnson.

As the product quality increases, batikers and seamstresses are much more content with what they produce and have greater motivation to keep up the hard work.

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