Only 23 percent of children in West Africa who enter primary school actually finish 6th grade. The main reasons are lack of basic supplies and transportation. Since Alaffia built their first school in 2011, they have built 10 schools and donated school supplies to more than 20,000 students in Togo. Through Sept. 30, co-op owners and shoppers can donate the following items:
- #2 pencils
- Ball point pens
- White chalk
- Protractors
- Metal compasses
- Lined paper
Please bring any donations to the Wellness desk in either of our store locations. With your support, Alaffia will be able to provide thousands of students with much needed school supplies.
Alaffia is a fair-trade producer cooperative of skin and body care products in Togo, West Africa. The women of the Alaffia Shea Butter Cooperative gather shea nuts and hand craft shea butter and other raw ingredients using traditional, sustainable methods. The cooperative’s unrefined shea butter is then used as the base for Alaffia’s skin and hair care products, handmade in Lacey, Wash.
In 2003, Alaffia’s founders began the process of establishing an organization that would empower communities while preserving culture and resources. It was apparent that shea butter was the resource that would truly empower local Togolese. Members of the Alaffia cooperative have the opportunity to use their traditional knowledge and skills to support their families, while making indigenous, sustainable and effective skin care available to the global community. Furthermore, Alaffia dedicates a minimum of 10 percent of all sales to community-empowerment projects in Togo, so the impact of fair-trade, handcrafted shea butter reaches beyond the cooperative. Alaffia shea butter is certified Fair for Life by the Institute for Marketecology, one of the first and most renowned international certification agencies for organic and social accountability.