Washington Business Spring 2018 | Washington Business | Page 34

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Recognizes a business whose products and/or services have positively impacted the way in
which Washington employers and communities are connected to each other and the world.
the company: Founded in 2003 by Olowo-n’djo Tchala and his wife, Prairie Rose
Hyde, Alaffia’s mission is to alleviate poverty and promote gender equality in West
Africa. Alaffia is a fair-trade skin and body care product manufacturer that’s creating
jobs in Washington — and waging war against poverty in the tiny West African nation
of Togo. It does this by providing jobs for thousands of women in Togo who collect the
shea nuts and other raw ingredients used to create Alaffia’s line of soaps, conditioners,
shampoos and lotions that are manufactured in Tumwater.
transforming lives: Alaffia is built around the principle that private enterprise can
alleviate poverty. By providing jobs at wages four times the average wage in Togo, women have the ability to support
their families. The company collects bicycles year-round that are shipped to rural parts of Togo, where students often
have to walk as many as 10 miles to get to school. The dropout rate is over 50 percent if a girl doesn’t have a bike, but
the retention rate is closer to 90 percent for girls who have a bike. To date, Alaffia has provided more than 10,000 bikes
to students.
women’s health: The leading cause of child mortality is due to the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). The
Alaffia Empowerment Council, which consists of four women leaders in Togo, works alongside Togolese clinics to
provide information to women on health, nutrition and how to avoid FGM. The company also provides funding for
medical care for pregnant Togolese women, including full pre- and post-natal care, delivery costs and any emergencies
that arise during a pregnancy. As of 2017, Alaffia has paid for the pre- and post-natal care for over 4,000 women.
remarks: “We are humbled to accept this amazing award today. I cannot tell you how grateful we are to be part of such
a supportive, dynamic group of business leaders. Alaffia founders Olowo-n’djo and Rose could not be here tonight.
Olowo-n’djo has been working steadily, intensely and tirelessly over the past few months on increasing the capacity of
Alaffia’s suppliers, which can be a challenge in emerging economies like Togo. We are incredibly blessed to be in the
United States and to have democratic systems and organizations like the AWB that help enterprise overcome barriers
to job creation and prosperity.” — daya fields, senior vice president of marketing and product development, alaffia
connect award finalists
expedia, bellevue frontier communications, everett
A homegrown company that now has 160 offices around
the world, Expedia is in the business of connecting people.
Though the company offices are spread out, Expedia takes
opportunities to bring employees together, like during the
company’s recent 20-year anniversary.
Each year, the company hosts a global Day of Caring,
when employees are given the day off to work in their
communities and connect with causes important to them.
That can be serving food at a local shelter and to those
experiencing homelessness or helping keep up the local
parks. Expedia matches donations for each employee up
to $4,000 each year and matches every hour an employee
donates to a cause with $15 they can give to any charity
they choose. Rural connectivity is at the heart of what Frontier
Communication strives to achieve. Lynden, incorporated
in 1891, and the areas around it, remain sparsely populated
with homes spread out over long distances.
When Lynden wanted broadband connectivity, it
was Frontier that helped overcome the challenges of
infrastructure costs and the needed investments to
provide broadband access to residents over a large
geographical area. In 2016, Frontier Communications’
engineering team devised a unique, multi-technology
solution to provide homes and businesses in Lynden and
the surrounding area with reliable, affordable wireless
connectivity.
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