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Shea is more than just a nut—it’s a path out of extreme poverty. Turning shea nuts into butter provides families with income for food, medicine, and school fees. But there aren’t enough shea trees, and the process is long, exhausting, and filled with challenges.
With your support, communities can grow more shea trees and learn new skills to ensure their trees thrive and ease the shea butter process.
Donate now to support communities to protect and grow more shea trees.
Across West Africa, nearly 8 million shea trees vanish every year due to climate change, deforestation, and unsustainable land use. Rising temperatures, droughts, and floods are making it harder for these trees to survive.
Not only this, but producing shea butter from shea nuts is also a labour-intensive process.
Shea trees are more than just trees - they are a lifeline. They provide income, food, and environmental protection, helping communities overcome poverty and adapt to climate change.
In West Africa, shea trees play a vital role in nature. They:
🌳 Store water during dry periods
🌳 Prevent soil from being washed away
🌳 Keep land fertile so other crops can grow
🌳 Absorb carbon dioxide, fighting climate change
West Africa is the heart of the global shea industry. 99% of exported shea comes from just eight countries, including Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso, where Tree Aid works.
At a local level, Tree Aid is working with thousands of farmers, mostly women, to ensure they earn a steady income from shea butter, helping them support their families and build better futures.
To the right, you can see Awa with a large bucket of shea butter, made possible with improved processing techniques!
Whether you choose to give a one-off donation or a regular gift, you can be sure that your gift will be put to good use right away, providing support to communities across Africa’s drylands to protect their environment and grow a better future. During 2023/24, for every £1 raised, we spent 90p on charitable activities, 9p on raising the next pound, and 1p on advocacy and awareness.