Great basket for storing your towels or blankets, toys or yarn. Whatever needed! Natural colours and stylish patterns. Named after one of the weavers (in the picture).
Dimensions: height (with handle) 37 cm, diameter 45 cm
The basket is made of natural veta vera (vetiver) grass straw, handles are covered with goatskin. Avoid long-time use in humid conditions. Should the basket lose its shape, hydrate it lightly, and restore its initial form. Allow it to dry in a well-ventilated room. Colours may fade in contact with direct sunlight. Caution: this product may splinter.
Yen Pang Basket Weavers Cooperative was established in 2014 with the support of Estonian NGO Mondo. Having initially started with eight women under a mango tree, the cooperative has now quadrupled in size, and has its own centre for weaving and storing the baskets. The cooperative is also training other women in nearby villages in basket weaving.
"Mamaa" means "Fair/Equal"
The word "mamaa" means "fair/equal" in the local Napti language of Nabdam District in Northern Ghana where our shea producers and basket weavers live. The logo of Mamaa is inspired by Ghanaian Adinkra symbol "Fawohodie" which stands for "independence, freedom and emancipation". We believe in fair trade and direct links with our trading partners.
We market products from women's cooperatives in Africa and Asia to support entrepreneurial women around the world and give them a better income. At the same time we offer our Canadian customers unique and quality products that bring about positive change.
Mamaa Trade was founded in 2018 by Johanna Helin who has years of experience in development work in international organizations and NGOs. The aim of Mamaa Trade is to market sustainable and quality products from women's cooperatives that Johanna has previously worked with. A big part of our work is to support women to develop their businesses, to improve and check the quality of their products and to ensure that the production methods are environmentally sustainable.
We believe that ethical trading is a sustainable way to secure poor women fair incomes through their work, better opportunities to care for their families and more say in the family and community. We offer the consumers the knowledge that the products they consume are socially and ecologically sustainable and make a difference in the lives of the producers. We guarantee that the prices we pay to the producers are counted in a way that they cover all the expenses of the production and offer at least the local minimum salary for the working hours. In addition, 15% of the profit (after taxes) is directed back to the communities.