Empowering women through enterprise in Burkina Faso and Nicaragua

Last year, Shared Interest Foundation supported 916 female farmers and artisans through projects designed to empower women to increase their income, build new skills and strengthen their economic resilience through enterprise development.

On Thursday 7th May, we hosted a webinar to explore the impact of two of these projects; shea nut value addition in Burkina Faso, and soilless vegetable production in Nicaragua. 

The Webinar

During the event, we explored key themes including value addition, income diversification and women’s empowerment in agriculture. We were delighted to be joined in conversation with Jaime Gutierrez, a Horticultural Technical Advisor and the co-ordinator of our soilless farming project with Sacaclí in Nicaragua. 

Alongside Jaime, the event was hosted by Kodzo Korkortsi, Shared Interest Foundation Manager, Harriet Urwin, Foundation Development Officer and Emma Claridge, Grants and Trusts Fundraiser. The event concluded with a question-and-answer session between attendees and the panel.

You can watch the recording of the webinar below, or view it on our YouTube channel, here.

The Projects

Project 1: Enhancing women’s livelihoods by increasing the economic value of shea 

In Samoghohiri, rural Burkina Faso, this project is supporting 151 women to produce high value shea butter from raw shea nuts using mechanised processing methods. This enterprise is creating a sustainable source of income, supporting community development and strengthening household security.

Orokia Kone, a project participant living in the community of Samogohiri with her husband and five children, told us:

“Before this project, I could not provide good food for my children, I could not buy them clothing when they needed them, I could not give them a good life. Now I give them good food and everybody is happy. Now my children and I, we dress well.”

Click here to learn more about this project.

Project 2: Empowering women through vegetable cultivation 

Delivered in partnership with coffee co-operative Sacaclí, located in Jinotega, northern Nicaragua, this project has supported 40 women to produce cherry tomatoes and chilli peppers using innovative semi-hydroponic soilless farming methods. This approach enables year-round production, leading to increased incomes for female producers.

Marisela Chavarría, a member of Sacaclí and participant in this project, said:

"It is thanks to the support of Sacaclí and Shared Interest Foundation, we women have been trained in different areas to help us grow. Our products are now being sold in supermarkets across Nicaragua. This makes us proud as women who support and sustain our families."

Click here to learn more about this project.

Help us to build a fairer world

The work of Shared Interest Foundation remains focused on improving livelihoods through enterprise development, building the climate resilience of producer groups and empowering women and young people.

In 2025, with the support of 1,878 donors and eight grant-makers, we delivered 14 projects in seven countries across Africa and Latin America, working with 15 local partners. You can see a full list of our current and completed projects by visiting ‘Our Projects’.

Our impacts are made possible through the generosity of donations. If you would like to support the work of the Foundation, you can donate or leave a legacy as a member of Shared Interest Society.