Greetings, everyone! I am Kuunaah, CEO of GHANECare which supports the economic independence of Ghanaian women and advocates their rights.

CEO of GHANECare

Kuunaah

Ghana is located in sub-Saharan Africa with a population of 33 million under extreme poverty as the Ghana Statistical Service states. Especially, Ghanaian women spend 14.4% of a day on household and unpaid care. It indicates they spend four times more than Ghananian men do. As such, the low participation rate of women in the economy is one of the root causes of why they are hardly economically independent.

GHANECare(Global Hand on Natural Environment Care) seeks to eliminate gender inequality and support for women’s socio-economic independence in order to achieve overall development of its community. Since it was established in 2008, it has created several social impacts in Jirapa district such as women’s right advocacy, and HIV/Malaria prevention and control. 

Recently, GHANECare has organized Yipaala women’s cooperative to improve their socio-economic status by actively engaging in economic activities. 120 women gathered from various regions. And they process and sell Shea butter for economic profits.

Have you ever heard about Shea butter? Shea butter is a vegetable oil that was made out of Shea nuts indigenous to sub-Saharan countries. It is popular with its versatility for abundant nutrition, excellent moisturizer, and skin restoration. L’Occitane, the prestigious French cosmetic brand, utilizes Shea butter for its hand cream and gained huge popularity. Lush and The Body Shop, British cosmetic brands, also released Shea butter product lineups. Shea butter is attracting customers all over the globe.

Taken from an IUCN article by Megina Gilli

Ghana is the world’s 3rd largest processor of Shea butter and it contributes to the improvement of its women’s socio-economic status. Women take charge of 80% of the whole Shea butter processing, which helps them earn stable income and become economically independent. It earned its name, ‘Women’s gold’ for its profitability by women. Yipaala women’s cooperative also participates in Shea butter business with help of GHANECare. What’s more, it trains the cooperative with management and organizational empowerment workshops. This will allow them to sustain the Shea butter business in a better manner. 

GHANECare’s goal is to see Yipaala women’s cooperative become self-reliant with the Shea butter business. However, due to the steep inflation these days, it is challenging to continue the business. They are facing difficulties purchasing Shea nuts and packaging materials. Also, they need continuous training for proper management. GHANECare is planning to use the impact donation for production and sales.

Please join us with impact donation

 so Yipaala women’s cooperative can maintain their economic activities!