Batik Animals Invade the Wedge

By Megan Thompson

Have you noticed anything unusual lately at the Wedge? If you stop by the Health and Body Care or Baby Food sections you may have noticed African monkeys, giraffes and elephants hanging around. Ok, they aren't live animals, but rather hand batiked designs adorning 100% cotton baby outfits.

The Wedge is proud to introduce Global Mamas, a colorful clothing line produced by Ghanaian women with the help of Women in Progress, a non-profit based in Minneapolis. In just a few years, this Fair Trade clothing label has increased the standard of living for hundreds of African women. Your purchase can make a big difference in the lives of women and their families, thousands of miles away, in the West African nation of Ghana. Shannon Nixon, the Wedge General Merchandiser Buyer noted, "The work Global Mamas is doing to empower women to be financially successful is really inspiring and a great thing for the Wedge and Wedge customers to support ... also, the clothes are really cute."

Global Mamas was co-created by Twin Cities native and fellow Co-op member, Kristin Johnson, as a way to make meaningful change in the lives of Ghanaian women. In Ghana, about half of the population lives on a dollar or less a day. Women are often responsible for supporting their entire family, but str uggle to earn a living in a nation ravaged by poverty. With little opportunity, many fall into traditional trades, further saturating markets already brimming with batikers, seamstresses, and food vendors.

While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 1990's Johnson taught business skills to women entrepreneurs and even started a credit union for women. On her return visits to Ghana, Johnson was disappointed to see that progress had not continued. "I noticed countless new Land Rovers with various non-profit logos, abundant training and handouts--but no noticeable improvements in the women's standard of living," Johnson said.

Johnson and fellow Peace Corps Volunteer, Renae Adam, discovered that although women were offered lots of business training, no organization stayed around long enough to assist with the immense, day-to-day barriers they faced in growing businesses and finding export markets. In 2003, Johnson and Adam launched the nonprofit organization Women in Progress to fill the void. They created a limited line of batiked clothing and did a test export shipment to the United States. The experiment was a success and Global Mamas was born.

Today, the Global Mamas Cooperative involves over two dozen independent women-owned businesses and has accomplished significant achievements. In just two years, it has transformed the lives of its members, doubling and tr ipling incomes and improving the standard of living for the women, their employees and their families. The women of Global Mamas now earn a livable wage -- over ten times Ghana's minimum wage. Seamstress Florence Thompson paid her off debts and had her electricity turned back on. Batiking partners Elizabeth Ampiah and Emma Myers sent all of their children back to school by paying overdue school fees and recently acquired new workspace in Cape Coast's busiest tourist district.

While each Global Mamas item is designed for Western tastes, they are hand dyed and batiked in the traditional Ghanaian way, using wax melted over open flames and printed with handmade foam stamps. The all-cotton clothing's vibrant colors and playful designs make them perfect for personal wear and gifts. While most of the products are geared for babies and kids, the Wedge periodically offers unique t-shirts for women that incorporate traditional Ashanti Adinkra symbols with meanings like "Peace and harmony" and "Learn from your past."

When asked about what else she like about Global Mamas clothing, Shannon commented, "It's really great that each tag is signed by the women who produced the clothing. I could then go on line to read the women's stories and learn how they have directly benefited from participating in Global Mamas." You too can learn more about Global Mamas at www.globalmamas.org.

Megan Thompson volunteered with Global Mamas in Ghana from January to April and lives in Edina.