Fairtrade, unique, empowering: Global Mamas is a nonprofit organization embodying these three traits through sustainable employment opportunities for women in Ghana, Africa. The company sells vibrant clothes and accessories, cosmetics and home decor that allows the women who handcraft them to support themselves and their families. The website allows customers not only to view and purchase products, but also to "meet" the artisan whose life they'll be changing as a result of the transaction.
Global Mamas was launched in 2003 with just six producers, and has grown to a network of over 600 talented people who are paid fairly. They are given access to business and computer skills, and tools such as raw materials to help them scale their businesses to reach customers in international markets including North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
Global Mamas pride themselves on going beyond "the typical NGO system" by looking at longterm impact and scalability by helping artisans find and reach new markets.
"We are proud to say that over 90% of our revenue is contributed by the producers of Global Mamas through a profit-sharing model and our amazing volunteers," the site says. "Today every single location of Global Mamas is self-sustainable."
Contact Information
Global Mamas website
Global Mamas on Twitter
Global Mamas on Facebook
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Fairtrade Products
- Opportunity to create fairtrade products that empower artisans in developing countries.
- Sustainable Employment
- Opportunity to provide sustainable employment opportunities for women in Ghana through artisanal craftwork.
- Direct-to-consumer Sales
- Opportunity to build direct-to-consumer sales platforms that enable customers to connect with the artisans behind the products.
Sectors Adopting This
- Fashion
- Opportunity for the fashion industry to collaborate with artisans in developing countries to create vibrant and unique products.
- Home Decor
- Opportunity for the home decor industry to source fairtrade products and support artisans in Africa.
- Social Enterprise
- Opportunity for social enterprises to leverage artisanal craftwork to create sustainable employment and market access for women in developing countries.
