By: NewNaturalista

Shea butter dyed or cut with palm oil. Wright says the natural color of shea butter is not yellow

Shea butter is so IN right now.  It’s thick, rich and moisturizing…great for our hair, skin and even cooking!  You can find it almost anywhere, but do you know where it actually comes from?

It’s derived from the shea nut tree which is naturally found in Western Africa.  Right now however, the majority of shea butter distributed in international markets is coming from commercial plants in Europe and Asia and not hands of African shea butter producers.  Rahama Wright is out to change that.

Rahama Wright (center)

“Although the demand for shea butter has grown, there has been little growth in the income of rural shea butter producers,” explains Syracuse, NY native Rahama Wright. After spending some time working in Africa while serving in the Peace Corps, Wright was moved to start a nonprofit to aid some of the poorer regions of rural West Africa.  ”My mother’s side of the family is from Ghana, and I’ve always been interested in poverty issues in Africa,” she explains. “I became inspired by these women who have these tremendous challenges in terms of the poverty, but they have so much beauty and joy and inner strength.”

Mematu Tahidu is about 40 years old and cares for 3 kids on a monthly salary of $90. Her goal is to make enough money to educate her children and keep them healthy.

In 2003 at just 23 years old, Wright founded “Shea Yeleen International.”  The nonprofit works with women in the villages of Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali, helping them generate enough income through small business development to provide for their families. Once these women are taught how to produce high quality natural shea butter, SYI makes the it available to us. Fifty percent of the profits go back to these African communities. To date, there are 1,000 female shea butter producers through the sale of this exclusive body care line.  The goal within the next 3 years is to help 5,000 women.

NewNaturalista: Shea butter has recently become a very popular product. Has this resurgence of interest impacted your mission?

Rahama Wright: We have received great response to our products. Since our feature in Oprah Magazine we get more inquiries on weekly basis and people who have tried our products love it.  Our products have the highest content of pure natural shea butter directly from women in West Africa, and since we maintain the natural properties of shea its more beneficial to the skin. Many people who suffer from dry skin eczema love our natural 100% raw shea butter. People who enjoy thick luxurious products really enjoy the body butter. Its like whipped frosting for your skin!

NewNaturalista: Describe the changes in the villages since you started this program.

Wright: We work with Eugenia Akuete, a shea producer in Ghana. Our partnership with her affects about 300 women. Each shea purchase we make supports an increase in wages, health insurance, and daycare services for the shea butter producers. We pay 10 times more than the average market rate.  We are starting a new coop in northern Ghana outside of Tamale and this new coop will assist 100 women. Currently, we are trying to fundraise $12,000 to develop a production facility for the women. Ultimately, the women we work with will see income levels going from $30/month to at least $200/month.

Rahama with the women of Dio, Mali

This month, when you purchase any of the SYL body butters or balms, you are also helping Shea Yeleen meet a challenge they are working on with The Global Giving Foundation (http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/sheayeleen/):

Shea Yeleen products are available at sheayeleen.org

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