Shea Committee

Introduction
Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana are working to establish/support groups whose priority is collecting shea nuts and processing shea butter. They believe that, through organization, these groups can be more effective at the production and marketing of shea as a means to increase income.

Projects
- Market Linkages

- Shea Soap Making:  Who doesn't want soap? This project is a great way to earn the trust of the women. A few trianings can be leveraged into a value addition/business development project or health/handwashing promotion activities depending on your role with the group. The main ingredients are: shea butter, palm oil or coconut oil, caustic soda (this is the same powder they use to make batik with, and it is EXTREMELY CAUSTIC so please be careful and always wear gloves), and water. It's also great to add moringa!



- Parkland Management:  She is native to the savannah region of Africa. It isn't cultivated, and rarely planted, but grafting in an existing parkland can make a big difference. This detailed guide shows you, with PLENTY of pictures, how to successfuly graft a shea tree.



- Quality Training:  In Ghana, most women are doing the majority of these improved processing steps, but they waste too much water and too much firewood. You only need to STEAM the kernels for 40 MINUTES. That means only putting enough water to reach about 1/3rd of the nuts, and boiling for the same amount of time it takes to boil rice. Don't forget to encourage the women to keep the drying area clean, and store the kernels well in cocoa sacks above the ground (just use firewood to keep them up).