Sana Danaa from the Sankapalla Dakoliyili community is a 40 year old grandmother of 3 and a mother of 5 and she’s one of our most experienced Shea nut pickers. Sana’s underprivileged childhood meant that her parents could not afford to send her to school. Sana hopes to have easy access to more grinding mills one day to process her own Shea nuts to sell. We are currently trying to make this happen so she doesn’t have to transport the nuts such a long distance to grind. It’s both incredible and humbling to see Sana’s dedication to her family with dreams of providing a better future for them. We’re so honoured to have her on our team.
What is your name? I am Sana Danaa, a Shea nut picker from Buiyili.
Where are you from? I come from Sankpalla Dakoliyili and I am 40 years old.
What’s your favourite food? The food I like best is T.Z, it is the most available food we have in our community.
Tell us about your family? I have 5 children and 3 grandchildren. My first born is Lamnatu Danaa, she is 20 years old and has two children. Lamnatu has never been to school. Salamato Danaa is my second born, she is 17 years old and has 1 child. She too has not been to school. Yussif Danaa is the third, he is 12 years old and he too has not been to school. Hakim Danaa is my fourth born, he is 7 years and he is in primary school, grade 1. Abukari Danaa is my last born, he is 3 years old and also in school.
What about your history? I have been picking Shea nuts since childhood. Life has not been easy for me when I was growing up. My parents were peasant farmers and they could not afford to send me to school. I farm, burn charcoal and also pick the Shea nuts to sell for income to support my family.
How about the future? The Deluxe Shea Butter company has been able to reach out to us and we can now at least make more money from the Shea nuts. I wish to have access to grinding mills to process my own Shea nuts to sell. This I believe I could make more income from.
