MODERN SALON is pleased to bring you inspiring news from our "Giving Guide."

The Karité sisters, founders of Karité Shea Butter in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, talk about a "sense of good" that guides them to include charity as an integral part of the Karité mission. "Since we source our raw, unrefined shea butter from Ghana," the sisters say, "our company’s primary charitable focus is giving back to the rural African communities that make Karité possible."

The sisters developed Shea for Soles (#sheaforsoles) as one way to give back not only to the Ghana community but directly to the women on the farming cooperatives in northern Ghana that supply their shea butter. Many of the women commute to work on foot and then spend all day on their feet as well, harvesting shea nuts and extracting the shea butter. To help them, the company gathers donations of gently used sneakers, and the Karité sisters distribute them to the women in Ghana, most recently in December 2021 as shown on the photo above.

"By working in the shea industry, these women are empowered to be more than just homemakers if they choose," the sisters note. "This opportunity can actually help them be breadwinners and provide for their families, become inspirations for their children, and support their communities at large. Since we source our raw, unrefined shea butter from Ghana, our company’s primary charitable focus is giving back to the rural African communities that make Karité possible."

Karité Shea Butter also belongs to the Global Shea Alliance. Based in Ghana, this non-profit association works to promote sustainability, quality practices, and industry standards in an effort to empower rural African communities and elevate the livelihoods of the women who work at the farm cooperatives. The Karité sisters are advocates of fair trade as well as fair compensation for the country's working women.