Since 2000, Lulu Works has provided a source of sustainable revenue for the women of Wulu. These women have long been the guardians of the Nilotica Shea Nut Tree (called Lulu in Arabic), which only grows in certain areas of the world, including South Sudan. These women convert the pure, rich oil of the Shea Nut into body butter, cooking oil and soap while offering a sustainable, local source of income for Sudanese women, their families, and their communities.

Wild-crafted, non-certified organic lulu nuts are collected and fully dried, then pounded into a mash using a large mortar and pestle called a funduk. Women push the mash through a hand-powered cold press mill that squeezes the oil from the nuts, retaining the nutritive properties and yielding a clear, lightly scented oil that transforms readily into a creamy butter. The women add beeswax and essential plant oils to convert the lulu oil into naturally pure soaps and lip balms.

Processing lulu oil not only preserves a time-honored tradition and brings income to a region where it is desperately needed, but it also provides an incentive to protect the Shea butter as a natural resource. Best of all, rather than being owned by shareholders or big investors, the women are given the responsibilities and privileges of running and owning Lulu Works.

In 2009, it was all destroyed. During major tribal conflicts, their facility was wiped out. When I visited the village of Wulu, the site was still strewn with remnants of the attack; machinery and vehicle parts litter the area where a thriving business once stood.

I spoke with 15 of the women from Lulu Works under a tukul (thatched-roof palapa). They told me of the devastation that occurred during the attack and how it was all gone in an instant, like an earthquake.

These powerful, resilient women are eager to re-build their factory. They are hoping to partner with aid organizations, but they are adamant about retaining control of the business. The Obakki Foundation is trying to facilitate this process with other groups and we have promised to help them get back on their feet. I brought home a tub of their Shea butter and it is like nothing I’ve ever tried on my skin. I hope that one day you all have an opportunity to buy Lulu Works products and support these amazing women.

They stood in front of their ruined machinery and their proud, defiant body language said it all:
We have suffered greatly as a result of war and famine, and now want to rebuild our lives and communities. We are depending on our own strengths, talents and resources. You can destroy where we work, but our dignity remains.

Tags: A Note From Treana, LuLu Works, Nilotica Shea Nut Tree, Obakki Foundation, Shea Nut Butter, South Sudan, Treana Peake, Wulu

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 10:56 am and is filed under A Note From Treana, Project Update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.