Imoro Rahinatu on How a Water System Improves Daily Life

Imoro Rahinatu is a shea butter producer working in Ghana's Upper West Region as part of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre cooperative. She is one of the women whose daily work and community life have been directly affected by the water system built with Baraka's support.

In this video, Rahinatu speaks about what it means to have clean water close by. Before the water system was in place, accessing water required long, physically demanding walks. Now that water is available nearby, she and her community can use it for shea processing, cooking, and cleaning within minutes. That shift has reduced daily strain, freed up time, and allowed women to focus more on income-generating work. In her own words, it is not just about convenience — it is about restoring time, dignity, and opportunity.

Rahinatu is one of the women whose work makes Baraka shea butter possible. Baraka sources shea butter directly through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region — a cooperative relationship maintained for over 15 years. Every batch is hand-processed using traditional water-based methods with zero chemical extraction, and complete chain-of-custody documentation is available for any order. The women who produce this ingredient receive a fair-trade premium directly, without intermediaries.

Water is central to traditional shea butter processing — it is used at multiple stages of hand-processing to produce the finished product. You can read more about how this works in How Handmade Shea Butter is Made. Rahinatu's story is also part of a wider account of the cooperative and its community — read more at The Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre and Fair Trade Shea Butter: The Konjeihi Story.

The water system and other infrastructure investments at the cooperative are documented in Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Imoro Rahinatu and what does she do?

Imoro Rahinatu is a shea butter producer and member of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region. She processes shea butter using traditional water-based methods as part of Baraka's direct supply chain. In this video, she speaks about how the water system built with Baraka's support has changed daily life and work for her and the women in her community — reducing physical strain and freeing time for income-generating activities.

How has the water system changed daily life for Rahinatu and her community?

The water system has made clean water available nearby, eliminating the long walks that previously took significant time and physical effort each day. Rahinatu describes being able to use water for shea processing, cooking, and cleaning within minutes rather than hours. This has reduced daily strain for women in the community, improved hygiene and food preparation, and allowed more time to be directed toward productive work and family life.

What does Rahinatu say about working with Baraka?

Rahinatu speaks about the practical difference that infrastructure investment has made at the community level. She frames the water system not as a convenience but as a meaningful change — one that has restored time, reduced physical burden, and created new possibilities for the women who rely on it. Her account connects targeted community investment directly to improvements in daily life, work, and dignity.

Who makes Baraka shea butter?

Baraka shea butter is made by women at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region, where Baraka has maintained a direct cooperative relationship for over 15 years. The shea butter is hand-processed using traditional water-based methods with no chemical extraction at any stage. Producers like Imoro Rahinatu are not contracted labourers or paid spokespeople — they are the women whose ongoing work makes each batch possible. Their names and stories are shared as part of Baraka's transparency commitment.

How does buying from Baraka support women like Rahinatu?

Every purchase of Baraka shea butter contributes to the fair-trade premium paid directly to the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, without intermediaries. That premium supports the cooperative's ongoing work and the community investments — including infrastructure like the water system — that make a direct difference to the women who produce Baraka's ingredients. The cooperative structure is designed so that the connection between a purchase and a producer remains direct and traceable.

About the Author

Wayne Dunn is the founder of Baraka Impact and a former Professor of Practice in Sustainability at McGill University. He holds an M.Sc. in Management from Stanford and has spent over 15 years working directly with the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region to source traditionally made shea butter and natural oils. He shares DIY skincare recipes and ingredient guides designed to be made at home with real ingredients — and sourced with full transparency about where they come from.