Songtaaba: Organic Shea Butter in Burkina Faso

Organic shea butter: a synonym for a better life for the women of Burkina Faso

During her visit at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières, this past 28th of September, Marceline Ouedraogo, president of Songtaaba and Uniterra partner in Burkina Faso, spoke of a Uniterra cooperation project’s impact on the living conditions of women in Burkina Faso. Accompanying her was Uniterra volunteer Chantal Bernatchez.

Traditionally, in Burkina Faso, shea butter extraction is an activity reserved for women only. As it happens, shea butter is “green gold for women as it is they who use it and because it represents a path to financial independence and a way to lessen their family burdens,” explained Madam Ouedraogo. The Association Songtaaba-Yalgre (ASY), which means “inclusive mutual aid,” is a Burkinan organization founded in 1990 with the primary mission of helping its women members improve their living conditions, in both economic and social terms. To this end, this association makes and markets shea butter certified as organic by Ecocert.

Development and innovation

Songtaaba’s priority: help women to improve their living conditions   
   
Songtaaba stands out partly because it has grown so fast; its original membership of 30 women has grown to over 3,000 today. Over the same period, monthly incomes have grown from one dollar to about $100. These women are in charge of Songtaaba’s various activities—from sowing crops to maintaining fallow lands.
The ASY provides training in various areas: adult literacy, AIDS prevention, prevention of female circumcision and family planning. Their approach takes into account the different spheres of female life in order to support them at every level of their personal growth and professional development.

Since 2001, the women of ASY have been marketing organic shea butter under the KARIBIO brand name. This sustainable development project was the first of its kind in Burkina Faso. In addition, a fair trade partnership has existed between the ASY and the company Flash Beauté of Montreal since 1998. The latter buys shea butter from Burkinan women and markets it as the natural cosmetics product, KARIDERM. Organic certification adds value to the product and generates a greater income for small producers. Today, 958 women have been trained in organic production and earn incomes three times higher than the average income in Burkina Faso. As a result, these women can provide for their family needs: clothing, school fees and food for children. In addition, this project helped women acquire 10-hectare plots of land in three villages, areas where they can further innovate in organic farming. This land represents hope and a big step forward for rural women.

For more information:

Songtaaba: www.songtaaba.net
Flash beauté: www.kariderm.com