The Dalogyili Zaapayim Women Agro-Processing Centre has been inaugurated at Dalogyili, a suburb of Tamale, to help women groups in shea butter processing in six communities.

The processing centre provides opportunities for women from Yagyili, Wumbei Yili, Dalogyilli, and three other neighboring communities to add value to agriculture products to generate increased revenues

The facility is equipped with modern machines and infrastructure to ease production and increase output of shea butter and black soap and other shea-based value-added products for local and international markets, supermarkets, and large-scale buyers.

It was constructed with grant amount donated by Vibrant Village Foundation (VVF), Portland Oregon State, United States through its local partner PureTrust Foundation (PTF).

Estee Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation also made a donation of an unspecified grant amount in support of the project through its partners; Savannah Fruits Company Limited and Business for Social Responsibility.

The facility supports the economic empowerment of women in the Dalogyili operational zone and contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by promoting decent work for women to end poverty in all its forms.

Mr Osman Mohammed, Regional Partnership Director, VVF, speaking during the inauguration of the facility, said it was a milestone in rural empowerment.

He said the initiative was born out of a shared vision to uplift women with income-generating activities that improved their quality of life.

He said: “Today marks a significant step in our collective journey towards empowering communities and fostering sustainable livelihoods.”

The delegation from VVF and PTF also visited Zujung, also a suburb of Tamale, where VVF and PTF have been supporting young women, who are members of the Winitra Women Weavers Association under the Inclusive Smock Project.

The project, which began with eight women, has grown to 29 participants, who are being trained in smock weaving and provided with start-up capital in the form of smock weaving machines and threads.

Mr Eric Brehm, a Board Member of VVF, commended PTF for its community-driven approach saying, “It is not only about giving them jobs but also responsibilities. The impact is amazing, and we are committed to continuing this partnership into the future.”

Mr Habib Haruna, Chief Executive Officer of PTF emphasised that the agro-processing centre and the Inclusive Smock Project reflected the organisation’s mission of promoting the economic security and social inclusion by empowering women with income-generating activities.

He said the seven new weaving machines and threads donated brought the total to 29 beneficiaries of the initiative.

The processing centre brought to five the number of shea butter processing centres constructed by PTF in partnership with VVF and other donors such as United Nations Development Programme and Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany in Accra.

He said PTF had previously supported other shea processing centres with soap stamping machines and expanded processing rooms, with its interventions now directly touching the lives of more than 15,000 people across its operational areas.

He called for unity and self-reliance saying, “Let’s come together and form the community foundations, mobilise resources and support ourselves before a helper will come and also add what he has for us.”

Madam Faustina Mahama, Leader of women shea processors group at Dalogyili, expressed gratitude to PTF and VVF for the support.

She recalled how members of the group previously endured the scorching sun and relied on manual labour to produce shea butter until PTF intervened four years ago.

She said: “We can now produce more with less stress; thanks to the machines provided. This centre has made our work smoother and our lives better.”

Madam Paul Ayi, another member of the group, shared how joining the group transformed her livelihood saying through the centre’s support and financial management training, she now paid her children’s school fees and ran a provision shop.

They, however, cited lack of water in the area as one of their key challenges and called for support to construct a borehole to be a source of water supply in the community.