Ojoba Collective directly employs 75 women in northern Ghana to make our beautiful, high quality baskets. The women are all part of a widows weaving cooperative, and we are proud to work with them! All the baskets come in one large size and they all have varying colors and designs. Each basket is hand woven from elephant grass, a local grass native to West Africa, and has a leather wrapped handle made from goatskin. These baskets are very strong and durable! Perfect for the market, as an alternative to plastic sacks, or for carrying your personal belongings in town! These baskets can be squashed down, and then brought back to their original shape by immersing briefly in water, and re-shaping by hand. Each basket is hand-made, and a beautiful and unique expression of the women who weave them.
Basket weaving is a traditional craft of the Fra-Fra women of Northern Ghana. The Widow's Weaving Cooperative was started to help these women, often the poorest and most vulnerable in the rural subsistence farming villages where they live, have a means to feed, clothe, and educate themselves and their children. Please click on the links above to read about the Widow's Weaving Cooperative, and learn how Fair Trade is making a difference in their lives.
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