A customer shops at the Global Mamas’ Second Saturday sale in Minneapolis, MN.

By Alice Grau

Moving on up: One Former Apprentice's Success through Global Mamas

Since its inception, Global Mamas has created over 250 new jobs in Ghana by helping women-owned businesses expand their operations. One of the most exciting aspects of this growth is seeing individuals develop with the organization. At the Cape Coast location we have seen more than 45 batik and sewing apprentices’ transition to paid positions and three women who started out as apprentices now have their own businesses within the Global Mamas network.

Louisa Esi Dadzie is one of those women. Louisa went to school at the Girls Vocational Institute and studied batiking in the classroom for 3 years. While still in school she was taken on attachment as a junior at Eli-Emma Batik workshop. Louisa proved to be an asset to the shop and thereafter was given more responsibility such as opening the workshop in the morning and access to the workshop to do her own work without charge. She took her job and benefits seriously and worked hard to save up enough money to open her own shop. That dream came true in July of 2007.

Since opening her shop, Louisa, now 26 years of age, has worked to gain a client basis. She currently does batik work for one school as well as many individual clients. You can find her skills represented among the Global Mamas products in this years Stickman and Aztec prints.

The skills that she has learned have provided her a good life and she recognizes that she can share that with others, so Louisa has taken her very first apprentice. Her shop has also provided enough income for her to purchase a cellular telephone, help take care of her mothers needs as well as start her education again at Cape Coast Polytechnic. Louisa Dreams of being a fashion designer.

Louisa says she is proud to be a member of Global Mamas and she wants the customers to know that she loves them and is grateful for their purchases.

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