At MaMa Jean’s Natural Market we pride ourselves in selling products that actually make a difference in the world. One of our most beloved Products with a Purpose is our African Market Baskets. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and patterns. As the name indicates, these beautifully handcrafted baskets are made in Africa. Bolgatanga, to be exact, which is the largest town in the Upper East region of Ghana, about 20 miles South of the Burkina Faso border and very close to the edge of the Sahara Desert. The living conditions are extremely harsh there and it is difficult to farm. Local women help support their families by weaving the baskets which are hand-woven using locally-grown straw. Basket weaving has helped bring much needed income to the villages surrounding Bolgatanga. The traditional skill which has been handed down from generation to generation provides employment to approximately 10,000 people, mostly women. An average of two baskets a week can be woven by a woman who also has household chores, firewood collection, water collection, washing and the care of her children to tend to each day.
African Market Baskets founder and CEO, Steve Karowe formed Every Basket Helps, a non-profit organization created to help manage humanitarian projects in the villages of Ghana. African Market Baskets donates 10% of its profits to Every Basket Helps. Steve travels to Africa to meet with the weavers regularly and to oversee Every Basket Helps projects which include:
- Providing basic school supplies for the weavers’ children annually
- Organizing and funding health care for the weavers and their families annually
- Funding and building a community weaving center that serves two villages and over 400 weavers
African Market Basket strives to be known for three things: Quality, Value, and Integrity. For 25 years, founder and CEO, Steve Karowe has used the Fair Trade business concept of economic partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect. In all business dealings African Market Baskets follows Fair Trade Federation principles:
- Create Opportunities for Economically and Socially Marginalized Producers
- Develop Transparent and Accountable Relationships
- Promote Fair Trade
- Pay Promptly and Fairly
- Support Safe and Empowering Working Conditions
- Ensure the Rights of Children
- Cultivate Environmental Stewardship
- Respect Cultural Identity
- Building Capacity
African Market Baskets is also a member of Green America and they support their mission to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.
(Photo Credit: African Market Baskets)
