The latest report is that the KamiAmi Women have delivered 150 crocheted wallets. Way to go!!!!!

Read about us in Hand/Eye magazine!

Check out the latest KamiAmi story in Hand/Eye's on-line magazine - http://handeyemagazine.com/content/fashionable-trash in the June 29th issue, written by Marylou Krajci.

KamiAmi has gone public!!!

Read about us, "The KamiAmi Women of Ghana," in the Summer 2010 issue of Fiberarts magazine. How proud we are!!

Our wallets are now available on-line at Global Mamas. To purchase one, visit www.tradeforchange.com. For wholesale orders go to www.globalmamas.com. Click on "Trashy Bags" in the "Recycled" category.

It has been an amazing journey and learning experience, for both the women and for me. They have learned (among many other things) that their time and their skills can help them support their families. The list of what I have learned is overwhelmingly long. It has been such a very special opportunity for me.

For more Africa stories, please visit my website - www.jackieabrams.com

KamiAmi Women on their own...

The apron strings have been cut. Our dream, to provide a sustainable source of income for these women, may be a reality. Global Mamas are successfully marketing KamiAmi crocheted works. Visitors to Pokuase, working with WomensTrust, continue to buy KamiAmi bags. They are on their way.

For more Africa stories, please visit my website - www.jackieabrams.com

For more info about Global Mamas visit - http://www.globalmamas.org/

KamiAmi continue to grow and change

KamiAmi continues to change, to progress. Each success seems to present another challenge. It is a growth process for both the women and for me. It is like raising a child - when and how do you start to let go, to let them be in charge and make all the decisions?

Our original vision was to make KamiAmi Women sustainable. This is still our vision.

My Daily Commute

It’s a 30-minute walking commute from the place where I stay to the place where I work. It’s a quiet time in the mornings. Most kids are at school, and I slowly walk to work, greeting people as I travel along the dusty road. The road is littered with the plastic bags that are now used (and valued) by the KamiAmi Women. It also has a tree that is filled with weaver bird nests – quite a site to see!


In the afternoons, on the way home, I usually have escorts. They carry my bags, and we talk and sing and laugh. They are pleased to show me all the back roads of town, and I get to see places I would never see on my own. On one day we walked past the home of Mary Addo, one of our KamiAmi Girls, and there she was – practicing her crochet.

Global Mamas

The best miracle of all is that we completed and delivered our very first wholesale order - 55 crocheted and zippered wallets. Global Mamas buys fair trade crafts made by Ghanaian women. They will test market them at their two tourist shops in Ghana, and if successful, they will include our bags on both their Web site and in their international catalog. If this is successful, it is the utmost in sustainability. The women simply take the trotro (public transportation) to Accra to do their KamiAmi business.

Sammy, as our new manager, accompanied us and collected the money. It was a very happy day.

For more info about Global Mamas visit - http://www.globalmamas.org/