Rita Makase

Ghana

Year(s) attended: 2008

Wondala Int’l

Patchwork Blankets, Bedspreads, and Bags

Rita Makase began her training as a seamstress in her aunt’s sewing shop where she worked for years without pay when her aunt could no longer afford her school fees.  Unable to find paid work, Makase left her small hometown of Dodome in the Volta Region of Ghana in the hopes of becoming a seamstress in Accra.  A friend introduced her to Wondala International’s BaBa Blankets organization, where she began as an apprentice.  Now she has become one of the organization’s lead textile artists, using traditional dyeing and sewing methods to produce not only patchwork blankets, throws, bedspreads, and bags, but also sustainable growth and empowerment opportunities for herself and her community.