Mission Statement
Promoting self-reliance and literacy through education for families that have lost breadwinners to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

History
AIDS Project for Women & Children-Uganda, a 501(c)3 not for profit organization based in Iowa City, IA, was founded in 2007. Its purpose is to promote self-reliance and literacy through education for families that have lost breadwinners to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The organization is collaborating with WomenCrafters in Uganda to promote sustainable income generation for these families through the sale of handmade crafts, as well as other projects like microfinance for small scale entrepreneurship.

The death of a husband often leaves women without access to sufficient resources to provide for their families.  Many times, these women are HIV-positive themselves and may lack access to basic healthcare at the same time that their health needs prevent them from providing adequate care to their children. WomenCrafters currently works with 70 families, including 250 orphans around the Kampala suburbs and Masaka District.

By relying on their skills in traditional craft making, WomenCrafters  helps to provide these women with a way to earn the income necessary to feed their families, send their children to school and other basic necessities.  The women make a variety of handmade crafts, including colorful, decorative mats made of raffia and banana stem fibers, baskets, beaded jewelry, and bark cloth shaped into angels.  WomenCrafters collects these crafts, helps the members decide on how to select and market the crafts for sale, and ships the crafts to the United States where international markets help the crafters get a fair price for their products.  All proceeds generated from the sale of these crafts, minus the cost of shipping, are returned directly to the women who made them.