YOUR IMPACT: Wanaa Grace

Wanaa Grace is a shea nut collector and shea butter producer from the Oli community in Ghana's Upper West Region. A mother of five, she works closely with other women in the Oli certified organic group — one of the producer groups connected to Baraka through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre. Her work collecting and processing shea nuts is central to both her household's livelihood and her contribution to the wider cooperative.

In this video, Wanaa speaks about what joining the Baraka cooperative has made possible for her family. Before, she and her husband struggled to afford inputs for their farm. Since joining the Baraka training and cooperative, the income she earns has enabled three specific things: buying farming inputs, keeping her children in school, and covering their healthcare. Her account is one of the clearest illustrations in this series of how shea butter income connects to the full range of a family's needs.

Wanaa Grace 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.

Shea butter has been central to traditional life in northern Ghana for generations. It is commonly used for dry skin and helps maintain moisture, and has traditionally been used across all ages — including for mature skin, where consistent moisture can make a significant difference. You can read more about shea butter for mature skin, including how traditionally made, unrefined shea butter is used for this purpose. The Oli group works within a certified organic system, meaning no pesticides, herbicides, or chemicals are used at any stage of harvest or processing.

Over 90% of the people working with Baraka in Ghana are women. Every purchase supports their ability to work with dignity, earn a fair income, and build futures for their families. To understand the full scope of this work, you can read Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report, which details the cooperative's progress and the lives behind every batch.

You can also learn more through these related resources: the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, the fair trade story behind Baraka's ingredients, and how handmade shea butter is made.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Wanaa Grace and what does she do?

Wanaa Grace is a shea nut collector and shea butter producer from the Oli community in Ghana's Upper West Region. She is a mother of five and works closely with other women in the Oli certified organic group, connected to Baraka through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre. Her work spans both the collection of wild shea nuts and their processing into shea butter using traditional hand methods.

What does Wanaa say about working with Baraka?

Wanaa speaks about three specific things that have become possible since joining the Baraka cooperative: buying farming inputs that she and her husband previously could not afford, keeping her children in school, and covering her children's healthcare costs. Before Baraka, these were out of reach. The income from shea butter production has made all three achievable — a direct account of what fair-trade income means at the household level.

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. Women like Wanaa Grace hand-process shea nuts using traditional water-based methods passed down through generations — cracking, grinding, boiling, and skimming by hand, with zero chemical extraction. Baraka has maintained this direct cooperative relationship for over 15 years. More than 90% of the people working with Baraka in Ghana are women.

What is the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre?

The Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre is a women's cooperative in Ghana's Upper West Region through which Baraka sources its shea butter and other ingredients. It operates as a direct, fair-trade cooperative — producers receive a fair-trade premium without intermediaries. Baraka has worked directly with the centre for over 15 years. The cooperative connects multiple certified organic producer groups across the region, including the Oli group that Wanaa Grace works with.

What does certified organic mean for Baraka shea butter?

For the Oli group, certified organic means shea nuts are harvested and processed without pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, or solvents at any stage. The shea trees grow wild and are not cultivated, so the organic status reflects the harvesting and processing practices rather than controlled agriculture. Baraka's ingredients are produced without chemical extraction — hand-processed using traditional water-based methods — and chain-of-custody documentation is available for any order.

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.