The majority of our members earn income from purchasing sheanuts and producing sheabutter.  Sheabutter is used as an oil for cooking, making body moisturisers and soap (more details of which are included within our 'training' page).  Making sheabutter is labour intensive and due to the high volume of sellers, the profit that can be made is exceptionally small - making GHc0.40 for 3 days work (£0.20/US$0.30) is not unusual. 

In addition to making sheabutter all women have a family plot of farmland to cater for their family's food needs.  Unfortunately the recent floods have destroyed the farmland of many of our members and as the sheabutter does not generate significant funds members have struggled for sufficient quantities of food.  Some members have also had their homes destroyed. 

In the aftermath of the recent flooding we visited some of our group members:-

Akadibika lived with 4 men, 6 women and 17 children.  When their home collapsed the children went to stay in a neighbours house whilst the adults sat in the rain as there was no more room.  Their home collapsed on their livestock - 5 guines fowl and 3 goats.  In addition to this they also lost 3 acres of corn and 3 acres of millet due to the excessive rains spoiling the crops.   With the help of money raised by TAWODEP their home has been rebuilt and we have given them seeds to replace the spoilt crops and some food aid to see them through the lean months.

Anamoah-Myaba is a member of one of our shea nut picking groups.  She and her husband have 3 girls and 4 boys, with the second son having a wife and child - all live together.  Almost all of their home collapsed when the rains came and all 11 of them are now living in one room.  The family received aid from TAWODEP and unfortunately their home has not yet been rebuilt, but at least they can afford to eat and survive.

Any amount of money will be helpful for us to purchase foodstuffs and building materials for these families, but a large sack of seeds to harvest for example costs c£15/cUS$20.