Meet the Mamas

When Mary Brote was a young girl, she would accompany her mother in collecting shea nuts in the Damongo area. She has been a member of the Damongo Christian Mothers’ Association, which runs the shea butter production initiative in Damongo, for many years. In one day's work, Mary can collect enough shea nuts to fill two bags, each bag containing between 80 and 85 kilograms. Mary receives training to collect only the best quality shea nuts, so all her collected nuts can be used to make shea butter. She now has five grown children and has been able to send each of them though senior high school. Although none of her children are living at home anymore, all of her grandchildren live with her. She is their primary caretaker, as her husband has passed away. Mary hopes that her work with the Christian Mothers’ Association will allow her to continue to care for her grandchildren, and ensure they receive a full education, as their parents were able to do.