When Rose Hyde arrived in Togo as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1996, no one would have guessed that she would find both her life’s work and the love of her life here. As an agriculture Volunteer, she was inspired by the strong cultural traditions in her community surrounding the production of shea butter—so inspired, in fact, that after her service she—along with her husband Olowo-n’djo Tchala—founded the company Alaffia, which aims to alleviate poverty and empower communities in West Africa through the fair trade of shea butter and other indigenous resources. Since Rose completed her Peace Corps service, she and Olowo-n’djo have built 10 schools, funded pre- and post-natal care for more than 4,000 births, and planted more than 57,000 trees throughout Togo—just to name a few things. Peace Corps Volunteers and their community partners accomplish great things during Peace Corps service, but perhaps what’s more impressive is the work they continue to do for their communities after those two years have ended.

To learn more about Alaffia, visit their website: https://alaffia.com/

 Video courtesy of our friends from Alaffia.