Gender Equality Ghana Project #8733

Help 375 Just Shea Women Harvest Safer, Earn More

by One Village Planet-Women's Development Initiative

Help 375 Just Shea Women Harvest Safer, Earn More

Project Report | Jun 28, 2016
203 New Members = 578 Just Shea Women! Thanks to you.

By Danielle | Project Leader

There's been so much happening on the ground with the Just Shea Women these past months it's hard to know where to start.

The Just Shea Collective sold 31 Tons of sheanuts to a Fair Trade processing group at top market price: $32 a bag!

We surveyed and distributed safety kits to 203 new Members! Now 578 Just Shea Women can harvest more shea, more safely to store in the Just Shea Collective warehouse.

The members formed a Warehouse Executive Committee with representation from each of the, now 9, Just Shea communities.

We are almost finished with the process of helping them to register with the government as an official Cooperative Union so they can open their own Just Shea Cooperative bank account.

Now that the Just Shea Cooperative is exactly the right size to fill the warehouse you helped us build, we are fully focused on building their capacity so we can do, well, what we always set out to do: work ourselves out of a job.

And here's where we need your support.

Over the next year it is our goal that the Just Shea Women will be able to self-manage their activities and affairs. Of course, we won't abandon them completely and will remain in a supporting role as long as they ask for our help. But the ball of self-sufficiency is set in motion and we believe, as we believe you do, that they can do it.

So, if you can give now, please do! And, really, no amount is insignificant. Even $1 a month makes a difference.

With so much gratitude for your continued support,

Team Just Shea

Links:

Permalink

Apr 1, 2016
Fati turned $20 into $220! Now that's something.

By Danielle | Project Leader

Dec 30, 2015
Excelsior Onward and Upward

By Danielle and Wicki | Project Leaders

Dear all,

Some great things have happened on the ground here in Ghana, and for that we thank you all.

Nature has been rough on us worldwide and that result in the shea regions of Ghana, means that it was not a banner year for sheanut harvests. Some of the trees didn’t fruit at all, however the women who had a crop or who were more mobile and could travel did very well. Fingers crossed for next year.

We’re still bringing sheanuts into the warehouse, but so far the top collectors are: Rafiatu from Nakpanzoo with 16 bags, which is astounding; Maata from Gushie, our first pilot community, with 12 bags; and Adisah from Savelugu, who is tied in third place with 12 also.

On our business side, we formed a partnership with a dedicated buyer to help supply fully transparent sheanuts for their Fair for Life Shea Moisture products. We love to see trust and cooperation blossom into great business connections. And this is key, because on top of getting top market prices for the women, the program is getting a Fair For Life premium to support the growth of the Just Shea Social Loan Fund and further support the capacity building trainings for the women so they can take on more day-to-day operations. This means more autonomy in their collective.

We continue to work so that women are safer, and have financing and storage. This translates into women who can harvest more, hold crops for longer, and earn more.

We are so very proud that we are all a part of this together.

Our 2016 goals are:

To grow the program in Ghana from 375 to 600 women

To integrate both Christian groups and Fulani cow herdswomen in order to increase our cultural and religious diversity in the program.

Please consider your year-end donations so that we can continue to grow our impact in 2016 and for years to come.

Join us and let’s all cross our fingers for a prosperous New Year.

Warmest regards,
Danielle, Wicki and the Just Shea Team and Women

Links:

Permalink

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.