FOUNDATION

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

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