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Hope Givers is a successful social enterprise founded by Linda Atibilla and officially registered in 2016.

The company’s focus is on the production and distribution of shea butter, primarily sold as a natural moisturizer or oil for dry skin. The shea butter and shea oil are enhanced by Hope Givers with moringa, neem, and other natural ingredients. Shea oil is a popular and attractive niche product. Hope Givers distributes its products through a widespread sales network in Ghana, including an online shop and a walk-in store. However, Hope Givers also exports to the USA, Gambia, and Egypt.

With around 10 employees, Hope Givers is a relatively small company, but it is closely connected with 1800 shea butter producers organized as a women’s cooperative. This cooperative is the sole supplier for Hope Givers. After intensive work and numerous training sessions, the cooperative has been certified as a Fair-Trade organization since February 2024.

Hope Givers already achieves diverse social, women’s empowerment, and environmental impacts today.

Through collaboration with WOCEN, this impact will significantly expand in the coming years.

Social and Economic Impact

Currently, Hope Givers provides a reliable income for more than 1800 women. In self-managed savings and loan groups of about 8 women each, emergency credit is available to them at any time. In the coming years, even more women will be able to lift themselves out of poverty through improved income.

Women’s Empowerment Impact

The shea butter producers are involved in a well-functioning women’s cooperative where they take on responsibility, participate in decision-making, and collectively demand their rights. As a result, many women have experienced empowerment. Their skills are continually expanded through training.

Climate and Environmental Impact

Shea butter is derived from the nuts of the shea tree. However, the shea tree is threatened. Because high-quality, long-lasting charcoal can be obtained from the wood of the shea tree, it is often cut down. Additionally, the expanding commercial agriculture also sacrifices the shea tree. The consequences are a loss of CO2 sinks, biodiversity, and an eroding ecosystem in the vulnerable savanna. Hope Givers conducts special training and awareness campaigns to protect the shea tree. Furthermore, in the coming years, the population in 25 villages will gradually take responsibility for nurseries and the reforestation of shea and moringa trees. Additionally, energy-efficient stoves will be introduced in the catchment area of Hope Givers.

Linda Atibilla, a pioneer in empowering rural women through social and green entrepreneurship.

Linda Atibilla, raised in rural northeastern Ghana, holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental and resource management from the University for Development Studies in Tamale. Additionally, she holds a certificate in rural enterprise management from the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada and is a graduate of the Young African Leaders Institute in Accra. With comprehensive entrepreneurial knowledge from various incubator courses, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in agroforestry.

Previously, Linda was a Women’s Program Officer for Agri-Business and a Market Access Specialist at a local NGO in her home region, where she witnessed the issues of rural women migrating to urban areas and being exploited in cocoa plantations. Out of this concern, she founded the social enterprise Hope Givers with a significant portion of her salary from six years. Under her leadership, the company and a women’s cooperative with 1800 members in over 25 villages have developed.