EMPOWERMENT

2 days ago, I received some pictures and just wanted to share the story behind these with you.
As some of you may recall, my rather hectic trip to Ghana in October 2008 included a soapmaking class for members of the shea co-op that I am very proud to support for the last 6 years and will continue to do so. Well, after so many phone calls with ideas being shared, I finally got a glimpse of the fruits of our labour. I am so proud to be a Ghanaian and even proud to learn that everything [mould, stamp, etc] used in the production is made in Ghana. I also received a picture of a recently erected shed. This was from the donation we made in addition to the money being raised through our shea butter fundraising campaign:
So don't think I am being cheeky next time you see me grinning like a Cheshire cat - I am so proud of these women and of course the men who help to make the tools.
We believe in empowerment
We believe in quality
We believe in ethical trading
We believe in communities.

ANOTHER FREEBIE!!!

I am passionate about unrefined shea butter from Ghana - especially the creamy-non deodorised-fair trade-luxurious butter we import directly.

I might be biased but I just love Ghanaian unrefined butters & oils in soaps. Do you want to see what the fuss is all about? then why not pop over to our site and start shopping. You will get a free bar of our sankofa soap.

KARITÉ, SHEA, NKUTO SOAP

Thanks to Marr Williams @ Smelly Chicks for this lovely feature on her blog.

Akua Wood from Cioccolatina is a bit of a shea butter evangelist. As a native of Ghana, she grew up using natural products and knows firt hand how wonderful shea butter is for the skin. Her appreciation for shea transfers into the products that she makes. The Karite soap pictured above contains more 70% of unrefined fair trade shea butter. How luxurious is that? It’s beautiful in it’s simplicity and without fragrance is one of the most natural soaps available. It must be heaven to use in the shower.

I met Akua on Twitter and am always happy to see her there. I don’t know her very well as I’ve only spoken to her directly a handful of times, but her posts are always warm and comforting. I get the sense that she’s one of those people that we describe as “glowing” and it travels all the way from the UK right through my Twitter screen. Maybe it’s the shea butter!

You can find more of Akua’s products at Cioccolatina and more about Akua on her blog. And don’t forget to follow her on Twitter!