The beautiful batik red headband – featured on the Mustard Seed’s Fourth of July Edition Style page – will add a whimsical touch to your patriotic day outfit. But do you know where the headband comes from? The answer: the Global Mamas in Ghana, Africa!
Like Mustard Seed, Global Mamas is a fair trade organization. While Mustard Seed provides a market for artisans from all around the world, Global Mamas focuses on the women in Africa. All of their proceeds go directly back to the African women with the hopes of changing their lives.
Bessie “Adwoa” Cramer is the seamstress behind the headband. Born and raised in the Cape Coast, Bessie grew up with a love for sewing. In fact, she had her own shop “Besshack Enterprise” until she had to close it down due to a lack of business. Luckily, Bessie was able to utilize her passion of sewing through the Global Mamas. Also working on the handmade headbands are the women of the Lady Volta Batik in Ho- a cooperative group that provides an opportunity for women to work and earn a fair wage. Global Mamas shares that, “the cooperative tries to target young women with little or no education, since they are often the ones that experience the greatest amount of difficulty in finding work.”
So… while wearing your Mustard Seed headband at your Fourth of July festivities and celebrating the independence we are so blessed to enjoy, celebrate that you are also helping the women in Africa and making a difference one step at a time!