In Zauna Beji, Nigeria, over 500 women earn crucial income by processing Shea nuts into butter. However, their livelihood and environment face significant challenges. Beji's story is one of hardship woven with environmental threats. The shea parkland is being ripped apart for firewood.The deforestation and unsustainable practices damages the environment, and shea butter production plummets.This project aims to empower the women through capacity building, carbon sequestration and afforestation
In Beji, Nigeria, hundreds of women handcraft Shea butter to support their families. But their journey is tough, the Shea tree is a good source of firewood. Additionally, finding Shea nuts requires long walks, and traditional processing methods destroy the environment and their health. These methods also create a low-quality butter that fetches a low price. They lack the certifications needed to access premium markets, leaving their incomes limited.
We will work in providing a Shea processing and briquette production center that eliminates the need for harmful firewood and increases the quality of the shea butter. We will also provide capacity building and cultivate more Shea trees with the help of the community. And, to ease their burden, we will provide cargo tricycles, allowing them to collect nuts more efficiently. Finally, we will champion the organic certification of the Shea parkland, ensuring environmental sustainability
We envision a 70% increase in monthly income for these women within 2 years. The project will also lead to 50% increase in tons of Shea butter produced annually within 1-2 years and will achieve organic certification of the shea parkland. This initiative will reforest at least 10 hectares of Shea parkland within 3-5 years. 10 tons of carbon dioxide will be sequestered annually through tree planting and soil conservation practices, and there will be a 50% reduction in firewood consumption.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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