African retailer expands reach with mentorship, providing clean water to youths in Ghana

Augustina Osabutey started her online store as a way to help others — and it’s paying off in multiple ways.

Safari Treasures is an authentic African clothing and apparel store and their proceeds support a mentorship program for rural Ghana teenagers and provides access to clean drinking water.

Osabutey completed her Ph.D. in Agriculture, Biosystems, and Mechanical Engineering from SDSU in 2023.

Originally from Ghana, she came to the U.S. for school in 2017 and started Safari Treasures to support the nonprofit Teen Lead Foundation, which she began in her homeland.

Her Ph.D. focused on environmental engineering and the study of contaminated sites without vegetation, along with wastewater treatment. This work coincides with her nonprofit in Ghana, which provides drinking water for villages with contaminated water.

Safari Treasures offers African clothing and accessories such as dresses, tops, skirts and earrings.

“I don’t think you need to be African to buy African items,” Osabutey said. “We donate your money, and your purchases support a good cause. You can purchase things for yourself, or it makes a great gift.”

Safari Treasures is solely online, and Osabutey said she recently moved to Sioux Falls to help establish a customer base and hopefully open a storefront.

“When you buy from Safari Treasures, you are not just getting something for yourself,” Osabutey said. “But it is for a noble cause: mentorship of teenagers in rural areas of Ghana.”

Osabutey initially intended to provide mentorship programs for rural teenagers; however, she soon realized that those teenagers would not be able to benefit from such programs without access to drinking water. As a result, Osabutey has made it her mission to provide both clean water and mentorship to the rural teens in Ghana.

“I have registering my nonprofit in the U.S.,” Osabutey said. “I hope to collaborate with organizations in the U.S. such as South Dakota Junior Achievement to further the cause.”

In addition to running a clothing store and nonprofit, Osabutey is a writer, and her language books are available for sale at Safari Treasures. Osabutey recognized the need for books that teach children to speak their African language.

“My son is 19 months, and that’s where the idea came from,” Osabutey said. “We don’t speak our language frequently, so I have published three of these books in Nzema, and I plan to continue writing books teaching other African languages.”