Volunteer Opportunities

Essential Oils Making Techniques for Soap and Cosmetics

Winrock International requests the support of a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer for a 18-day volunteer assignment (including travel) located in Dakar, Senegal. The volunteer will provide theoretical and practical training on essential oil production, extraction, and distillation, including what essential oils are, what plants, herbs, flowers, or spices can be used to extract essential oils, how to extract essential oils from various types of plants, and tools needed to do so. The volunteer will train AMIDEF members and develop a training guide/manual for future use and reference. 

AMIDEF members are making soap and cosmetics, but they have limited access to fragrances to be used in their products – thus limiting the competitiveness of their products. Essential oils are very important in the process of making soaps and cosmetics; ability to produce essential oils will add value to the final product. With new essential oils production techniques, the host will be able to develop the sector by setting up favorable conditions to be producing essential oils from local plants., enabling them to reduce dependence on the market to source essential oils while contributing to poverty reduction in disadvantaged areas by creating income generating activities for their members. AMIDEF will use the essential oil produced by members for their soap, cosmetics, and other products.  AMIDEF trainers will use the list of the different plants available on which they can rely to produce essential oils (to be developed during the volunteer assignment)  to promote growing aromatic plants to distill essential oils.

The volunteer should have the following qualifications and background:  

·       Higher university degree in botanical science or another related field

·       At least 5 years’ experience in essential, aromatic, or medicinal oil extraction, distillation, production, and use

·       Practical experience in the application of essential oils to add value to various products – such as soap and cosmetics

·       Experience training adults

·       Good written and verbal communication skills

·       French language skills preferred