News

March 2006 - Fearless Guest Book

We have added a Guest Book feature to the web site.  If you wish to sign your name and leave a message please click here.

March 2006 - Launch of Fearless Web

We are pleased to announce a new section of our web site that seeks to promote local people and businesses that work closely with us by providing an Internet presence.  For more details click here.

Feb 2006 - Launch of Fearless Planet Blog

We have launched the Fearless Planet blog to better inform our friends and colleagues about our day-to-day work.  Although this web site will continue to be the main source of news and information about the organization, the blog will allow us to share our experiences with you in a more personal way.

The blog can be reached from the menu located at the top of each page of this site or by going to http://fearlessplanet.com/blogs/stuart/

Feb 2006 - Fearless Planet Artist

We are pleased to announce that we will be working closely with renowned Ghanaian painter Nicholas Kowalski.  Nicholas is working on the prototype batik design for the front panel of the Fearless Planet laptop bag.  Nicholas has also kindly given his consent for us to use a selection of his unique and powerful imagery for some of our publications including this web site.  Click here for more details.

Jan 2006 - Ghana Field Work

In January of this year, Danielle Gold (Exec. Director & President) and her family relocated to Accra, Ghana in order to pursue and develop the various Fearless Planet projects.

Oct 2005 - Preliminary Architectural Design for Batik Workshop

We have completed a preliminary architectural design study for the batik workshop in Elmina.  Click here for details.

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Oct 2005 - Fund Raiser

Garage children's clothing store in Scottsdale, Arizona hosted a trunk show for the new Fearless onesies.  Click here for more details.

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Aug 2005 - A Fearless Planet Batik Workshop for Elmina

Fearless Planet was awarded a $20,000 grant from UK based Tzedek for Development for the first phase of construction on our batik and sewing workshop in Elmina. Fearless Planet yoga mat bags, satchels and laptop cases will be produced at our workshop, as well as clothing and accessories for Kaivalia Absolute Freedom, a US based fashion design label.

A beautiful acre of land with lush vegetation has been purchased by the project. The site is only a mile away from the primary tourist attraction in Elmina, the former slave castle. According to the Elmina Heritage Society, the town receives 100,000 visitors a year, yet there are few tourist facilities in Elmina. The Fearless Planet batik workshop will offer batik making classes, shopping and a relaxing café.

Phase one of the workshop will focus on construction of the batik production workshop area and sewing room. Additional funding is being sought to complete the complex. If you would like to support this construction project, please contact us.

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Aug 2005 - Our Youngest Supporter 

A thirteen year old girl is donating the funds for a beekeeping and honey production project to be based at our center in Old Ningo. Ali Feder of Phoenix, Arizona has asked guests invited to her Bat Mitzvah celebration to donate to the Fearless Planet and ORT beekeeping project rather than give her personal gifts. In a letter sent out to Ali’s friends and family she wrote, “My idea behind starting the beekeeping project is to create opportunities for the village women to improve the quality of life for themselves and their children so they can become successful and happy people.”

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Aug 2005 - New Market Links for Women Producers in Ghana

Fearless Planet has been successful in attracting companies to work with us and purchase goods produced in Fearless Planet projects. Designer Deborah Garland, owner of Kaivalia Absolute Freedom Clothing continues to place orders for fashion accessories and is now using the beautiful woven fabric produced by the women of Northern Ghana for a line of winter and spring skirts.

Now Lather, a natural skin care company with stores in California and Arizona, has placed an order for woven gift baskets for their products. Their baskets and the woven cloth for Kaivalya will enable Fearless Planet to launch a new project in Ghana’s Northern Region. The Ghanaina Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, the Honorable Alima Mahama, had requested that we undertake a project in the north, where women lack opportunities for access to urban markets, but possess unique skills in basketry and fabric dying and weaving.

Fearless Planet will be sponsoring a training program for the production of baskets for Lather to their specification and hand dyed and woven cloth for Kaivalya.  Like all Fearless Planet business projects, participants will be provided with business and money management training, to ensure their ability to manage and grow their business and their savings for their families’ futures. The project will also include local project staff who will work with the production cooperative to maintain product quality and meet specifications and deadline for their market.

If you are interested in contributing to the cost of providing business and technical training to the women Fearless Planet assists, please contact us.

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Aug 2005 - Palm Oil

In June 2005, Fearless Planet’s executive director, Danielle Gold, was in Ghana with the owners of Jungle Products to explore a business collaboration. After a week long trip to Ghana by Jungle products founder’s Mark and Emily Mattison, spent with Fearless Planet and the communities we work with, they felt confident about the collaboration and will be shipping an oil press to our center so we can begin production of the palm oil.

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May 2005 - Alternative and Sustainable Technology Project

In May, 2005 Fearless Planet began renovations on the training center facility in Old Ningo, Ghana, which will be the base for the Ningo Alternative and Sustainable Technology Project. Repairs are being overseen by the Ghanaian Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs and should be completed by the summer, when initial project activities are planned to begin, including fruit and vegetable drying and the production of cold-pressed palm oil. For further information see Projects page.

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April 2005 - Batik Training Course with Mama Ree

Two women from the Elmina Textile Project were selected to participate in a four week batik training course instructed by one of Ghana’s leading batik artists, Mama Ree, who was recently featured on a Discovery documentary program.

The women worked with Mama Ree at her workshop in Tema, learning advanced batik techniques and creating new fabric patterns designed specifically for Fearless Planet yoga mat bags.

Funding for this workshop was provided by Tzedek for Development.

For pictures see the Projects page.

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April 2005 - News from our Executive Director in Ghana

I returned from Ghana on April 1st, after an exciting and productive trip.  

On 4 April batik artists from Elmina began a four week training course with Mama Ree, a well know batik artist, recently featured in a Discovery documentary. During the residential training course, the Elmina women will work closely with Mama Ree to learn more advanced techniques and design new patterns to be used on the Fearless Planet yoga mat bags and other Fearless Planet products. The women were very excited to have the opportunity to work with Mama Ree and learn new skills.

A second four week batik training course for more Elmina women is scheduled for May with another leading batik artist in Accra, Vida Donkor, who uses different techniques from Mama Ree to produce her batik designs and fabric effects. After both training courses, the women will return to Elmina to share what they have learned with the rest of project’s batik team. Learning new skills from more than one artist will enable them to combine various techniques, rather than imitating one individual style. They will be encouraged to develop their own batik style and to produce original designs. And by creating our own design range, we are able to produce a consistent group of fabrics which enables us to market our yoga bags to retail outlets.  

Additional funding for the training programs was received from a UK based organization, Tzedek for Development, who’s Project Committee I met with in London, en route to Ghana.

In support of the project, the Ghanaian Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs has committed to securing a building in Elmina for us to house our batik and sewing workshops and project office. Using the contributions we received, we are able to purchase the materials needed to furnish the batik production workshop in Elmina. We anticipate being in our new premises by June, 2005. 

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April 2005 - Fashion Show

In addition to producing our beautiful Fearless Planet yoga mat bags, new products and markets are being created for our batik fabrics:

• Fearless Planet is working with an American clothing designer to produce clothing and accessories for her line. On April 7th our products were featured in Kaivalya Absolute Freedom’s fashion and trunk show. The beautiful tie-dye shirts produced in Elmina were especially popular at the show, and the designer is planning to continue to work with us.

• We are now supplying a jewelry designer in Accra, Ghana with batik jewelry bags for her products.

• Some of our batik bandanas were sold to a gift shop in Accra which caters to the foreign community, to test the local market. Pricing is much lower in Ghana than in Europe or the US, but we are interested to observe sales volume and explore the viability of selling within Ghana.

• Plans are underway to collaborate with the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York to design a Fearless Planet lap top computer case.

Danielle Gold - April 2005

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March 2005 - UK Charity Supports Fearless

In March, 2005, Tzedek began working with Fearless Planet by contributing the funding for two important month-long training courses for our batik artists, as well as for purchasing the materials necessary to establish our own batik workshop in Elmina.

We appreciate Tzedek’s contribution to the Elmina Textile Project, which was provided just at the time it was needed. We look forward to working together with this outstanding grassroots development organization on additional programs.

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 March 2005 - News from Ghana