Chantal Donvide N. has produced beautiful batiked cloth for over 10 years, combining techniques she learned in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo. For many years she dyed the cloths and sold them in her village while working from home as a seamstress. In 2007, with the help of a Peace Corps volunteer, she founded aklala batik and dedicated her talents to building a successful business that creates fashionable accessories designed with traditional crafts in mind.

As her business has grown, she has successfully promoted her craft and organized a team of women who transform the batik cloth into handbags and fashion accessories, incorporating materials such as traditional clay beads and hand carved hardwood accents. Her success has enabled her to create jobs and opportunities for other women in the area. She is currently building a workshop that will oer free training and employment to orphans and those unable to aord traditional trade school instruction.