aklala du Togo: February 2009

Chantal on her plot of land of which she dreams to build aklala batik workroom and boutique

The brick marking her plot of land

So many of you are aware of aklala batik's progress through creating a line of marketable hand bags and accessories out of the traditional batiked fabric of West Africa. In her development she still lacks the capital to expand her operations to a adequate workspace to house all the talented individuals who assist in the production. Currently, she works out of her two room space in a housing compound with 4 other families. There is a large amount of interested individuals that ask to work with her but the space is limited. With an emerging interest in her products both locally and in the US, she is searching out possible donors available to finance her expansion efforts.

Last year in March she had purchased a plot of land for the construction of a workshop and boutique located in her town. Centered around the expansion, is a plan to offer training in batik and sewing to those who are unable to pay the high inscriptions fees for an apprenticeship, particularly young orphaned women and men. In turn, she would have the assistance to meet the current demands of her customers. A portion of the revenue from the sales of aklala's products would help finance the housing and training for these orphans and underprivileged persons while at the same time offering free training to aid in their independence and development. Once they have completed the training they would be offered paid positions with aklala batik that would allow them to support themselves, allowing for a new flux of individuals interesting in learning and practicing a skilled trade to arrive.

I am in the process of helping her construct a plan for this expansion, including a business plan detailing her mission and vision statement. I will be submitting this proposal through the Peace Corps Partnership Program in an effort to generate financial support from family and friends stateside. Please keep checking this site if you are interested in supporting her efforts. Here is a

brief summary of the proposal...

Background
Kpalime, situated in the Plateau Region of Togo, serves as one of Togo's top tourist destinations and hosts a rich community of artisans. The artistic community plays a large role in the development of the town bringing in large amounts of tourists during the summer and holiday months. Yet, with a growing population of over 65,000 and a weak economy, Kpalime continues to struggle with unemployment, corruption and poverty.
There is a large population of orphans living in and around Kpalime. Many children are taken in by willing households but still receive little financial support for their education and development. They are most often found working for the family who was kind enough to give them a place to live, staying at the home doing a wide variety of chores. They will live a life destined to remain dependent on others and will have very little opportunity to succeed in a skilled trade or profession.
With a concentration of artisans, Kpalime offers apprenticeships in a wide range of crafts at private and public training centers. However, these training programs are expensive, costing 200,000 CFA or more (approximately $100). When the average family supports itself on $2 a day, such an investment is outside the reach of many young men and women—especially for orphans who were lucky enough to have found a home. Aklala Batik's technical training center and workshop would grant free apprenticeships to orphans and give them an opportunity to learn a trade and support themselves.

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.

Here are some images of Chantal on the future site of her workshop. She is making plans to start the construction little by little through the revenue generated by local sales, but searches support in getting the construction into full swing.

The site

and a pile of bricks..to build the center

Chantal and business partner No-no researching the site of a potential temporary exhibition hall.

Just months after her first debut at an international trade show in Burkina Faso last year, Chantal and aklala batik du Togo is back and better than ever. She will be exposing her new line of products in Ouagadougou at an organized artisinal show in conjunction witht he huge Pan-African film festival FESPACO. Through granted permission of my PC director, I will be there there on the side lines watching her progression and assisting in the facilitation. I am so proud of the efforts made by her and the other talented and motivated people of Kpalime she works with.

Felicitations aklala !

This season's newest products...from books to shoes...everything gets covered in batik!