The SHEAAID is a non-profit organisation committed to preserving Ghana and Africa’s shea resources while combatting climate change and creating sustainable employment for rural women.

The organisation was borne out of the founder’s desire to stem the degradation of Ghana’s shea crop, which threatens extinction.

This is due to harmful traditional practices, climate change, invasive farm use, and several other factors.

As a primary source of income for over 470 000 women in Ghana alone, the threat of extinction of the shea tree directly threatens the livelihoods of these rural women and their households. The danger of losing the shea crop is further exacerbated by its global significance as a dietary option which sees about 90 percent of its exports to Europe used in the food industry. It is also used for medicinal purposes and heavily relied on in the beauty industry.

The Foundation envisages a rejuvenated Shea Belt and a more rewarding business environment for the women. In view of these considerations, the Hamamat Foundation was established with the following stated goals;

i. To ensure the conservation of the country’s Shea Belt and its resources to ward off the threat of its depletion.

ii. To initiate innovative and sustainable strategies to decrease the growing effects of climate change.

iii. To provide social and economic empowerment to women in the Shea Belt and also improve their household incomes.

To achieve its stated goals, the foundation employs ingenious strategies to bring sustainable transformations to the shea sector. In the long term, the Foundation seeks to control swathes of the Shea Belt to guarantee its conservation and abate invasive practices such as tree felling for the production of charcoal and use as farmland.
The preservation of these ecologies also feeds into a broader climate action strategy which mitigates the ensuing effects of climate change in the area.

Also, it employs advocacy as a tool to stimulate social transformation in combating harmful cultural practices which effectively destroy the natural shea ecologies. Again, through its advocacy work, the Foundation’s progressive social interventions represent marginalized women as custodians of the shea ecology and key actors in the conservation effort.

SHEAAID makes social investments into deprived communities to catalyze the social and economic wellbeing of their inhabitants. These investments include the provision of basic amenities such as healthcare, education, and potable water.

Notably, the Foundation is continuously integrating women into the shea value chain as active participants of the production process and also to earn decent living wages. This strategy is designed to reverse years of exploitation of women and their resources in return for poor remuneration.
Finally, the Foundation pursues broad-based partnerships with like-minded organizations and individuals to forge stronger alliances to achieve its overarching goal of saving the Shear Belt and its attendant economy.

Since its inception, SHEAAID has successfully integrated over 1000 women in the shea butter production. The provision of this gainful employment opportunity for women is positively impacting household incomes and general wellbeing, especially of children. Courtesy of Hamamat village and the women of Tamale .

In line with its goals, the Foundation has commenced its conservation actions of a 2 arce land in the community of Savelugu in the Northern Region with the view of scaling up in the coming years.

As we advance, the Foundation is upscaling the number of women who work directly and indirectly in producing the shea butter. The creation of sustainable job opportunities within the shea community will have residual effects on the respective households of the women.

Also, it is hoped that the Conservation Zones will be expanded significantly to decrease the dwindling fortunes of the shea tree. The foundation, together with its partners, will develop a holistic roadmap to substantially grow the conservation zone across several regions in northern Ghana.

It will also continue to pursue partnerships as a catalyst for developing strategies to achieve its various goals. The organization realizes the importance of building synergies with similar-minded organizations to create shared value.

Advocacy actions will also be intensified to push for reforms in the sector while encouraging better conditions for communities.