Mission
Established in 2002 in honor of Wilson K. Gyimah, Labour of Love’s mission is to provide educational and healthy living resources to rural communities in Ghana and abroad. While in pursuit of our mission, we keep in mind our impact on the planet, and funding to our organization goes to research and development of eco-friendly and ethical resources for the communities that we serve
Goals
Over the last five years, our efforts have increased local student enrollment by 75%, and with this growth, our mission is on a new trajectory. Our primary vision moving into the future is to spearhead major projects that integrate and maximize currently existing local resources. By doing so, we can continue to develop projects that enhance and provide educational resources, medical supply accessibility, and agricultural ventures that benefit the health and financial investments of all local residents of the community we serve. To contribute to our mission, contact us, and we would be happy to have you aboard the LoveTrain.
School Supplies & uniforms
–
Annual fundraising campaigns with performers/artists, cultural displays, and fitness demonstrations have contributed to renovation of buildings; supplies & uniforms; feminine care products; and First Aid kits.
Healthy food & water
–
Promote organic & healthy living and participate in eco-friendly initiatives and farming projects to improve overall public health and protect natural resources, which allows for building new economic opportunities and sustainability.
Medical Supplies
–
Collaborate with local and international clinical and allied health professionals to ensure focus on urgent care needs of the community.
Facility Maintenance
–
Facilitate projects for school building facelift and beautification to address needs associated with increasing student enrollment. Maintain power lines throughout communities for all electrical requirements. Continue projects associated with infrastructure and technology enhancements and “Light Up the Village” and maintain electrical connection to the international power grid.
History
Our founder, Akua Gyimah Chin is the third child of four children of Wilson Kofi and Paulina (Sisi Dokua) Gyimah. After the death of her father, on the morning of September 11, 2001 in New York City her faith was challenged and her spirit shaken. However, she rose to the occasion and in her own words has stated, “I had to dig deep within my core to re-align my perspective and search for a way to heal the sadness and pain associated with these traumatic events that occurred simultaneously.” Losing a loved one during such a national tragedy emboldened her to seek a path for which she remains steadfast as it has opened her heart, mind and soul in ways that have been unexpected.
Each anniversary has been emotionally challenging and has prompted a deeper search within for ways to best honor and remember her father’s legacy. In 2002, she traveled to her father’s ancestral home for the first time since leaving Ghana as a small child. In her travels she learned that her parents and most of her family and village children attended school at the only local Primary/Secondary school in the village of Tumfa. Prior to becoming Vice Consul in New York City for the Ghanaian Government (a position ensuring the family stay together with him during his numerous international travels), her father was a teacher at the school in his twenties and was fondly called "Teacher Kofi" as he emphasized the importance of continuous education; specifically, enhancing learning through the arts, music and sciences.
When first approaching the school building; she became overwhelmed with emotion -- saddened by the conditions but at the same time touched and inspired by the energy of the children. It was amazing that students and teachers alike were able to participate so actively inside these buildings that were not conducive to learning. It was in that moment, she realized that there was a way to help the children while also connecting to the memory of her father. Upon returning to the States and consulting with family, she established a small scale (grassroots) fundraising campaign. This gave life to Labour of Love and the creation of a logo that represents the spirit of the organization and taps into the core of the Ghanaian Adinkra symbols for Sankofa — always remember our roots, look back on the work of our ancestors and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we achieve our full potential as we move forward.
Bari Gold x Labour of Love:
A Partnership for Empowerment
This summer, Bari Gold proudly joins forces with Labour of Love to bring a deeper purpose to skincare—one that nourishes both the body and the community. Together, we are creating real impact by supporting the widowed women of Northern Ghana who handcraft this sacred shea butter.
Through this partnership, Bari Gold provides sustainable jobs, tools, and resources to women who rely on shea production as their primary source of income. It’s not just business—it’s economic empowerment rooted in ancestral tradition, collective care, and generational survival.
For the first time, you can shop Bari Gold in person and support this mission directly.
Find us this summer at:
🌿 Dumfries Market On Main
📍 3800 Graham Park Rd, Dumfries, VA 22026
🕗 Every Saturday | 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
🌿 Long Family Farmers Market
📍 183 Staffordboro Blvd, Stafford, VA 22556
🕗 Every Sunday | 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
When you choose Bari Gold, you're not just buying shea butter. You're investing in women, culture, and global sisterhood.
Introducing Bari Gold: Shea Butter With Soul
Handcrafted on a traditional Shea farm in Ghana, Bari Gold is more than just Shea butter—it’s a movement rooted in heritage, healing, and humanity.
In proud partnership with Labour of Love, proceeds from every jar go directly toward providing jobs, shelter, and empowerment to the women and families who sustain this sacred tradition. By choosing Bari Gold, you’re not only nourishing your skin, you’re helping preserve generations of wisdom and keep the spirit of traditional Shea alive.
This is Shea with a purpose. This is Bari Gold. Whatever it is, how you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Bari Gold: The Hands That Hold a Village
Bari Gold is not just shea butter—it is the story of survival, sisterhood, and sacred tradition.
Handmade in Bolgatanga, a small village in the Northern region of Ghana, this shea is created by the hands of widowed women who carry entire families on their backs. For many of them, shea is not just a craft—it is their lifeline. With few options for income and children to raise, these women come together in community to do what they have always done: work, support each other, and rise.
Shea-making here is a communal ritual. Women gather in the early hours, singing, talking, and moving in rhythm—a labor of love passed from mother to daughter. Each jar of Bari Gold holds the strength of these women, their laughter, their struggle, and their hope.
Through Labour of Love, every purchase of Bari Gold directly supports their livelihood, helping to provide jobs, shelter, and sustainability to those holding up their families and their culture.
This is not charity. This is recognition. This is dignity.
This is Bari Gold.
The Sacred Tree of the Savannah
The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is no ordinary tree. It grows wild—never farmed—across the dry savannahs of West Africa and nowhere else on Earth. Its presence is rare, sacred, and deeply tied to the land and the people who care for it.
Native only to specific regions stretching from Senegal to Uganda, the shea tree takes over a decade to bear fruit. And yet, it gives generously: rich, nourishing kernels hidden inside its fruit are the source of pure shea butter. In the Upper East Region of Ghana, especially near Bolgatanga, these trees are part of the ancestral landscape. They are not planted—they are protected, honored, and passed down like family.
To the women who harvest them, the shea tree is more than a resource—it is a spiritual gift. It connects them to the earth, to their grandmothers, and to the generations yet to come. Making shea butter by hand is not only a means of survival—it is a way of respecting the sacred cycle of nature, community, and legacy.
When you hold Bari Gold, you hold a gift that can only come from one place on Earth, made by the people who have known it best for centuries.