Alaffia: Peace, Health, and Wellbeing

Last year my primary goal, through my blog, was to shine a spotlight on businesses that are doing right for the world. I tend to be distrustful of traditional business practices as it seems that the focus is on profit above all else. Above fair work environments, above fair treatment of laborers, and most certainly over the health of the consumer. Which is why I choose to work in a business with a cooperative business structure. As an employee of a cooperative I am responsible to our owners (which are our  shoppers) to provide healthy products.  It is because of this, and the research involved, that my eyes have been opened to some businesses that are really trying to make the world a better place through profit.


This week I had the great privilege to attend the Alaffia Ladies of Togo Tour in Minneapolis. We

Olowo-n'djo and his mother

were pleasantly greeted by owner, Olowo-n'djo, Adide Awesso, Director of Community Support, Mawule Houmey, Manager of Traditional Oil Extraction, and Ahoumondom Bamassi, Manager of the Togo Artisan Center. In Africa, food is offered as an expression of love and kindness, and it was in this spirit that a traditional Tongolese meal was offered to us. Throughout the afternoon we learned of the tremendous work Alaffia is doing to help empower the people of Togo. Olowo-n'djo, with seven siblings, a 6th grade education, and sometimes living without enough food, was taught the importance of giving from

Abide Awesso

his mother. He realized early on that although monetary donations are needed, they are not sustainable. Alaffia, which translates to a state of peace, health, and well being, was founded on a need to empower the women of Togo by finding a way to use their skills and knowledge to help them rise out of poverty.  The benefits of the shea nut are many, the trees are prevalent in this part of western Africa, and the tradition of oil extraction has been passed down, through the women, for generations. It is through these traditions that the women's cooperatives of Alaffia were formed.

It was intense, listening to the ladies of Togo. Abide, a midwife by training, travels throughout Togo

Mawule Houmey

on her motorbike working to ensure proper pre- and post-natal care, as well as tirelessly attempting to eradicate female genital mutilation which is still practiced in this part of Africa and leads to both physical and mental weakness in its women. Mawule, an accountant by trade, learned the tradition of oil extraction from her mother, who learned it from her mother. She is now in charge of both shea and coconut oil extraction for Alaffia, which really speaks to the purity and tradition of their products. Ahoumondom manages Alaffia's new undertaking: Queen Alaffia. Queen Alaffia

Ahoumondom Bamassi

focuses on the sewing abilities of the women of Togo, producing the beautiful headbands we have in our store, as well as a line of purses and scarves. Her goal is to eliminate prostitution by employing these women at a fair wage.

Each woman deserves a blog post of her own to truly capture what it is she does for the women of Togo. I left feeling very lucky to reside in a country that supports my rights instead of ripping them away through poverty, lack of education, and mutilation, and humbled by the sometimes insurmountable fight these women face.



Supporting and empowering the women of Togo is only a drop in the bucket of what Alaffia is doing for that region. More than Fair Trade, Alaffia is certified Fair for Life by the Institute for Marketecology, which is the most renowned international certifications for organic and social accountability. Here is a list of more ways in which Alaffia has helped Togo in the past
12 years:
*Reforestation Project: 53,125 Trees Planted
*Eyeglasses Project: 14,200 Eyeglasses Donated
*Education Projects: 10 Schools Built
23,700 School Supply Recipients
1,855 School Benches Built (so the children are allowed space to learn instead of crowded together on the ground)
7,100 Bicycles Donated (so children can make it to school)
*Maternal Health Project: 4,142 Births Funded

And they make lotion! And shampoo! And those lovely baskets!. It's crazy to think about, but when you buy Alaffia products you are directly helping the people of Togo. In regular distribution there are at least 5 middlemen between you and the farmer. With Alaffia it is nut gatherer to Alaffia Cooperative to you the consumer. This is why you are able to purchase a clean product at a very reasonable price and help the world in the process. Alaffia truly shines a little ray of hope on what the future can hold for sustainable business practices.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." -Mary Anne Radmacher