Always on our minds during trips to Ghana is, “How many baskets can we fit into our luggage as we return?” By purchasing baskets we help support forty women in two weaving cooperatives, one in Kongo and the other in Yakote. To make enough money for all of their children to attend school seems to be the collective goal. Though the baskets are beautiful, it’s time consuming and tedious work with a profit margin of $2-$3/day for the average weaver.
Work in the weavers house is characterized by lots of chatting, some might say gossip, with small children playing near their mothers. It seemed obvious to me (Lisa) that some stretching would be healthy after hours of sitting on the cement floor. I’ve never heard so much groaning from a group of young women during back stretches! Yet, they begged me to come back, sometimes twice a day.
The weavers are excellent at tightly packing the baskets into a suitcase and delivering them to our room. There are more than 20 baskets in this suitcase!
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