FOUNDATION

We strongly believe in education
We strongly believe in building hope
We strongly believe in giving back

We officially now have a foundation to execute our beliefs.

We are SheabutterCottageFoundation – an NGO registered in Ghana under Sections 27 + 28 of the Companies Act 1963, Act 179.

Join the SheaCottageTribe and let us build the strong pillars of HOPE.

Our services include our continuous support for shea producers as well as helping children with education + welfare needs.

Our current projects will focus on helping autistic children in Ghana as well as getting more shea producers together to form a co-op

We strongly believe that education is vital - hopefully help end poverty.

Beneficiaries include but NOT limited to:

Jilima Co-op of Ghana
In October 2018, we mobilised 54 women to form a co-op. We believe that gathering workers together in to co-operatives gives them some safeguards and empowers them to speak with a stronger voice to the buyer of the product. A better price and better terms should ensue.

We acquired land in October 2018, had it measured in January 2019 and started building a structure in March 2019.

Follow the progress via #SheabutterCottageFoundation #JilimaCoop on Instagram

Nana Kwabena of Ghana
Since December 2018

We are glad to have Nana Kwabena on our books.
Kwabena is 9 years old but with a mental age of a 5-year-old. He is autistic and attends mainstream school in Ghana.
Autism is not widely accepted in some societies due to the stigma attached to it. We are sponsoring Kwabena's education to give him access to one-to-one tuition.

Konadu + Owusua of Ghana
Since December 2018

Aged 4 and 8 years old, these 2 are adorable sisters who together with their older brother (Afriyie [12]) are our latest beneficiaries. The siblings lost their Dad just before Konadu was born. We have managed to pay their school fees and hope to extend our gift of giving to their mother too. She does odd jobs and hand washes clothes for others to keep her children educated.

Mary Wanzila of Kenya
Since June 2018

Mary is 11 years old and is performing well with her studies. She is a shy and quiet girl who loves singing and would love to be a teacher in future.

Aharanatu Abukari of Ghana
Since 2011

Aharanatu is 13 years of age and attends a private school to help improve her education. She is incredibly shy - bless her. Back in December 2015, we organised (together with my eldest sibling) for Aharanatu to visit my family in Accra. Her first time travelling. This was obviously out of her comfort zone.

Vele Maziya of Swaziland
Since 2008

Vele is 21 years old with Downs Syndrome. He attends Ekululameni vocational training to help him acquire valuable life skills which will certainly help improve his prospects for the future.
It was lovely hosting Vele and Nonhlanhla for 3 days in Johannesburg in September 2018. It was Vele's first trip out of Swaziland with all expenses covered by SheabutterCottage Foundation.
..... So grateful to beautiful awesome Nonhlanhla for taking time out of her very busy schedule to sort out passport and travel with Vele. ..... Despite the language barrier (Vele says yes to everything), we managed to chat and laugh. We have been supporting Vele since 2008 and managed to visit him in Swaziland in 2011.

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Sheabutter Cottage is too aware of the difficulties producers can experience to have sufficient money to buy food and basic provisions for themselves and their dependents. Many hours work for very little pay is common and more often the disproportionate share of the profit on the product is shared between the middle men and the end distributor. There is a danger that these producers are treated as purely the supplier of natural resources without a due recognition for the workers at the origin of the supply chain. Gathering workers together in to co-operatives gives them some safeguards and empowers them to speak with a stronger voice to the buyer of the product. A better price and better terms should ensue. We believe that by purchasing from farmers’ co-operatives and other like-minded suppliers is the model for the future to help end poverty. Sheabutter Cottage is proud to support fair trade by paying a fair price/donating to these producers. We also visit some of these co-ops and transfer some of our knowledge and experience. • Sheabutter Cottage donates a percentage from each sale as direct unconditional donation to help strengthen these co-ops/projects. Empowerment may sound like a typical buzz word but we have seen it. Sheabutter Cottage is planting the seed of vision and ideas and hopefully passing on a few tools of the trade to allow them to run on their own because we believe that education is a great gift that can be given to anyone. • Investing in education is our contribution towards the welfare of our future leaders. Sheabutter Cottage has worked with Asikasu primary school is in the Eastern Region of Ghana. After funding the installation of water filters in April 2013, we also funded the supply of new classroom windows for this primary school. The water filter looks simple but it is an effective way of providing clean water to these primary school children - it is our way of helping these children remain in school to continue with their education as we say NO to CHILDLABOUR. • Other Sheabutter Cottage projects have included - stretching a helping hand to more than 150 entrepreneurs in 34 countries through Kiva since 2007 - financing the build of a KVIP [toilet facility] in Guma - Ghana - financing the provision of water facility to pupils of Kikuube primary school [Uganda] in 2012 - supporting a project in Ghana to provide fuel- efficient cooking stoves to impoverished families. Initial donation towards 15 in December 2011 and extending it to 30 in February 2012. - supporting a moringa farming community in Ghana through donation + our direct purchase of their high quality moringa leaf powder. - donationa to a children's respite home/outreach project in Haiti - Since 2009, Sheabutter Cottage has been involved with 2 shea co-ops in Ghana [Gumu + Malshegu]. A 3rd shea co-op [Dahansheli in 2015] - supporting educational activities by sponsoring disadvantaged children which included Vele of Swaziland - despite his disability, was being educated at St. Joseph's in Mzimpofu - helping save orangutans via BOS foundation ETC   SHARE WITH FRIENDS