Self-Care Susu

Self-care is community care.

The concept of a susu has African roots. The word susu is a derivative of Esusu which comes from the Yoruba language and people of Nigeria. In traditional Yoruba culture, the esusu functioned as an informal rotating savings club, where a group of people contribute an equal amount of money into a fund weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. As African people were uprooted from their land and brought to the Americas and the Caribbean, the money saving tradition survived and continued to be a stronghold in African and Afro-Caribbean culture. We have ingeniously combined this creative African/Caribbean money saving practice with the desire to care deeply for ourselves.

The Necessity of Caring Deeply for Ourselves

There is deep compassion and reverence that is invoked once we take the time to nurture, nourish and revitalize all aspects of our being. Self-care is not some trendy catchphrase that is here today and gone tomorrow. The self-care that I am referring to, comes from a connection to our primal nature whose innate wisdom tell us it our birthright to be happy, vibrant and well-cared for.

Self-Care Susu was created by Shanarae Matthew, a Crucian women’s wellness advocate and peristeam hydrotherapist, as a solution to encourage health and wellbeing in her local community.

Here’s How It Works

A person signs up to be in a susu pod. The susu pod consists of 5 people. There is a weekly payment of $65 for 5 weeks from each person and payments are made and tracked via the Self-Care Susu app. Each week a different person in the pod receives a voucher where they can receive wellness services from participating providers in the amount of the pool hand. Participating providers stem from local businesses and include health and wellness practitioners on the island. If this resonates with you please sign up below!