Ayindisa, (Eye-in-DEE-suh)
meaning "God's hand is in the work that you do."
Frafra language, Ghana.
Among the hottest items in our new Fair Trade Gallery are baskets made by the Ayindisa Fair Trade basket weaving group. The group consists of 30 women and a few men in the village of Yarkibisi near Bolgatanga in one of the poorest regions of Ghana, West Africa. Bringing these baskets to sustainable markets in the U.S. creates a win-win situation. The marginalized communities earn necessary income, and we get functional and beautiful baskets.
The baskets are incredibly well-crafted and sturdy. They're made from either enviromentally friendly grass, upcycled plastic, or upcycled saris. Some include cruelty-free leather handles. The all natural dyes are non-toxic and made from plants, roots, and colorful stones crushed into a pigment. We think you'll use your Ayindisa basket all the time, but don't worry if it becomes misshappen after lengthy use. You can easily reshape your grass baskets: 1. Moderately wet with cold water (avoid getting any leather wet). 2. Shake out excess water. 3. Shape with hands. 4. Allow to dry.
What can you do with your Ayindisa Fair Trade Basket?
The associates in our Fair Trade Gallery will be happy to give you lots of ideas on this subject. Here are some ideas to get you started:
The large handled baskets make a wonderful Summer Concert Basket. Load it with a blanket, a bottle of wine, and a couple of glasses and head off to Cantigny or Ravinia.
Eliminate the need for plastic bags by instead using your Ayindisa Fair Trade basket as a Shopping Tote.
Keep the a upcycled plastic bucket basket in your car as a Car Seat Catchall. Makes it easier to keep all your "stuff" together.
Line bowl baskets, made with upcycled saris, with a napkin and use it as a Chip Bowl.
As if all this wasn't good enough, it gets even better: 10% of proceeds from the sale of Ayindisa Fair Trade baskets are donated to Engage Now Africa, a non-profit organization working to end poverty in Africa and beyond. Proceeds from the baskets are used to construct clean drinking water wells in rural villages in Ghana.
