Congrats Ashley and Chantal!!

I am proud to share with you  a recent presentation Chantal and Ashley gave Ambassador Melanee Verveero, Head of Global Women's Issues at the US State Department during Hillary Clinton's recent visit to Togo!!

 

 Ashley Lewis and Chantal Donvide represented Peace Corps Togo and thier work in Kpalimé. Ashley has been assisting Chantal in the continued growth and development of her business, aklala batik during her service as a Small Business Development Volunteer with the Peace Corps.  Since Chantal and I laid the groundwork for the opening of her successful batik business in 2008, she has continued to expand her operations and clients through continued assistance and support from Ashley coupled with Chantal's inner drive to be a successful businesswoman.  Ashley was able to take what we had started and concentrate on assisting Chantal craft a working business model to continue her success.  In the two years since Ashley arrived, I have seen so much growth in aklala batik and in Chantal.  It is her drive and passion, coupled with the foundation of support offered by the Peace Corps in Togo to promote her business.  

Chantal is my hero, and I am the one inspired.

Congratulations Chantal and Ashley!

Hillary, I hope you love your gift! Enjoy!

Please stay tuned on the continued development of aklala batik! If you are interested in any products feel free to contact me here:  meglynn.ryan@gmail.com  

Ak bey ka ka LOOO!  (Merci, Thank YOU!)

Support Growth in the World

Thanks to all of you who have followed my work with Chantal over the two years while I was in Togo with her and the women of aklala. With a dream and a vision, her and I were able to start a successful business and connect her to others who can work towards sustaining her development.  Though I believe the ground-work we laid has made her independently successful and with that I feel that her and aklala stand as one.

While I make the transition to DC I will be working on promoting her work stateside.  If you have any interest in her products as a buyer please let me know and I can send you the current catalog.  New products will be added shortly and uploaded to this blog so check back soon! 

New branding logo placement on bags currently for sale at "The Evergreen" in Ludington, MI

Sac du Soiree Clutch with hand dyed batik and tropical handles

Ak bey ka ka looo!

aklala hits the big apple!

Come Join us at the New York International Gift Fair!!

January 30th through February 4th 

Booth #2483 Jacob K. Javits Center

aklala batik will be presented as part of the AfricaNow! booth supported by
 

 

Coming Soon!!

Visit our marketplace and purchase aklala's products online

www.aklala.com

Come and Shop!

Hey there!
As we begin to market aklala stateside here is a taste of what we will have to offer!
Feel free to mingle and dance around in the colors of Africa!

aklala 2009 catalog ~sacs~

aklala 2009 catalog ~autres~

Why settle for just one color. aklala patches together many patterns to offer a rainbow of colors available in a cute new hobo bag. Get your groove on!

Chantal discussing an order with a client from France who's mother's business purchased the remaining inventory at the end of the FESPACO international trade show in March to market in France.

Business is Blooming Colors

So things are moving along well in the progression of aklala batik. Chantal and the women have never ceased to amaze me as I get ready to leave Togo at the end of my 2 year service facilitating her creation and growth. Not only do I feel as if I have accomplished what I came here to achieve, I have also aided in encouraging the capacity now found in Chantal and the others who work alongside her.

Etonam and Beatrice start the production for an order  for a US client.  Chantal and the women of aklala have been able to secure many international orders for their bags due to honoring a commitment to share a bit of their culture with others and do so in great style!

Etonam sews together pieces of batiked cloth to form the patchwork fabric to make into bright and cheerful bags.

Chantal's son Eli, the "smallest tailor" strikes a pose for me as I photograph their newest investment, an embroidery machine made possible by increased revenue. Chantal felt that it would be wise to offer more services locally while having the capacity to create new products from it's use. She employed the local embroiderer to run the machine where she used to order the service for her clients. Now others come to her for the same needs.

Chantal works on the terrace of her new workshop and boutique which has helped bring in additional profits during the tourist season.

Growth is on the Horizon

She waits for no one.

Chantal walks to one of the many buildings she will construct in her hopes to create a large batik workshop that will offer jobs in local trades and stimulate the economy through the marketing and sale of aklala's products. Her company, aklala batik, is only just over a year old but she has the wind in her sails and never ceases to move forward. With my help and her motivation we have witnessed the opportunities of growth. She has already contributed to her own development financially from the revenue collected from the sale of her products.

This is the first building on the future site where aklala batik will install its operations and open it's doors to a host of possibilities for the future of Togo and the inhabitants of Kpalime. I worked with Chantal on the budget detailing her plans to expand and allow her newly successful enterprise to assist others locally by creating a space to house and employ orphans and young women and men interested in learning the trades of sculpture, batik and tailoring. This opportunity will provide them the skills to work within Togo's trade economy.

I wrote the proposal this past January. Since I was too close to the finish of my service here as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I took a pause to reflect on other ways to assist her before she took on such a grand scale development. I also had a desire to return to the needs of my assigned post and implement a few community wide projects. I wanted her to reflect upon her goals and the mission of the project before launching the proposal in search of funding. Here is a summary of her goals within the development of aklala.

Project Goals

• Construction of a workshop, training center, storefront, and housing to aid in the education and employment of orphans and underprivileged individuals from Kpalime and surrounding villages.
• Promotion of batik artistry and tourism through organized, short-term classes.
• Creation of jobs in Kpalime.
• Expansion of Aklala Batik's capacity through trained staff and sustainable business structure.

Populations Directly Benefiting

• Orphans and underprivileged children and adults who have no means of support living in and around the Kpalime region.
• Local entrepreneurs who seek partners in order to access more of the market.
• Local youth who are interested in learning a skilled trade at a low cost, through weekly formations or year-long programs.
• Tourists can benefit from taking classes in the traditional crafts of the region and learning the skilled trades of the country allowing more cross-cultural experiences and collaboration.
• Community development through the promotion of skilled trades, allowing for increased revenue from tourism.
• 
  Current Community Contribution on the part of Aklala Batik and others
• Plot of land purchased for the construction of the center
• Professional artists and skilled trainers available to teach others valuable trades at little or no cost.
• Labor to aid in the construction of the center.
• Responsibility for paying all utilities associated with the operation and upkeep of the center and lodging facilities through revenue of product sales, training sessions, and tourist lodging fees.
• Batik equipment, sewing machines and supplies, as well as furnishings currently used by Aklala Batik to aid in the completion of the workroom.

Since my work began with her in March of 2008, we have created an enterprise, a successful brand of marketable handbags and accessories, and opened up possibilities to touching a world market from attending international trade shows in the promotion of aklala batik du Togo. She had all the skills and creative drive, all it took was a bit of counseling from me and some guidance from the 4 years I spent in my past career as a product designer in Chicago. Through it all I have discovered that the satisfaction I feel in my service has come from her rapid growth and development, mostly through watching her confidence rise. This was what I wanted to do during my service, help international artists promote themselves through guided development and marketing practices. I could not have felt more fulfilled. Helping her and others in this manner has increased my confidence in my own success as an entrepreneur. Though the largest benefit comes from getting that "feel good feeling," knowing that you just made the life of someone a bit better by showing them the way to grow.

Maybe someday I'll be in Chantals place and sell my own products created by my own two hands, but for now there are many more talented people out there that just need the little bit of guidance and promotion to help themselves do the same. I will continue to promote these talented individuals by assisting in their marketing and development by finding fair trade outlets and distribution possibilities to allow for people worldwide to experience the creations of cultures far and wide.

Like the Chinese Proverb states:

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

In my work with Chantal this proverb has been proved as I have seen her take responsibility for her own affairs and grow little by little, using her own capital. Since I have seen her bring herself this far, I know a little bit of financial assistance can take her further to helping others pull themselves up and remove their dependence on others. In my time here working in development I have never believed in the system of handing out money, knowing that it only creates dependence. I've seen it here in a country where a lack of organizational development by way of the government has forced many Togolese to demand support from other countries, stating that the local means have been long exhausted.

so...What's New?

Here's a brief glimpse at the latest goods from the creative spirits of aklala batik...

stacks of batik patterns

pagne pagne pagne...batik fabrics is a rainbow of colors

Sac kangol with it's many pouches

Sac arc-en-ciel clutch with tropical hardwood rod handles

all of the many styles and colors of aklala

a selection of bright and funky accessories handmade from dye to construction all here in Togo