Mwanza Charity Craft Association
Donation protected
Our Project, Our Dream:
There’s an African proverb that says “If you wink in the dark, you will never get a fiancé.” The Mwanza Charity Craft Association is a group of charities and craftspeople in Mwanza, Tanzania, in East Africa, and we have a dream: to open a gallery to sell our handcrafts and artwork. We have many beautiful items to sell- but at this point we are just winking in the dark! We need to find a place to shine!
But our dream is even larger than a simple store: we dream to enable individuals- be they women dying batiks, teenage girls selling handcrafts, or young men living with disabilities learning tailoring skills- to lift themselves up to make a better future for themselves and their families. And we need your help to make our dream a reality.
Who We Are:
The Mwanza Charity Craft Association is located in the city of Mwanza, Tanzania, in East Africa on the southern shores of Lake Victoria. The mission of the Association is “to enable local craftspeople to exhibit and sell their crafts in a way that respects the dignity of each person.”
Our Association supports various charitable organizations and local craftspeople in or around the Lake Zone region. The city of Mwanza is a booming urban center that offers many opportunities as well as many challenges for the city’s residents. Poverty, illness, and a host of issues affect the residents of the city. Our Association helps to provide those with whom we work the chance to develop their skills and sell their products, ultimately providing them the chance to improve their lives and the lives of their families.
Our Association supports two types of memberships:
1. Organizational memberships for local charities that work with vulnerable populations, such as people living with HIV/AIDS, women and young girls, street children, and people with disabilities. These charities provide education and entrepreneurship training to foster independence within their clients;
2. Individual memberships for artists and craftspeople promoting their handmade arts and crafts such as wood sculptures, batik-making, and paintings.
Founding member organizations include:
• Chanua, supporting women and children’s groups
• Lulu Project, educating teenage girls on life skills and entrepreneurship
• Tunaweza, providing skills development for people with disabilities
• Uzima Centre, supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Our Fundraising Goal:
The Mwanza Charity Craft Association is currently raising funds to open a storefront in Mwanza to sell the products of our members year-round. Currently, our member organizations sell their products through their own limited markets and networks. Opening a store in town will provide a year round opportunity for sales and collective marketing, as well as creating the potential of a stable income for the artists and craftspeople. The products to be sold within the store will be made by the individuals supported by the organizations’ services; profits from the proposed store will support the operations of these charities as well as directly benefit those that have made the items sold.
Mwanza is currently experiencing a tremendous amount of development. A new shopping mall is currently being constructed and is slated to open by 2015, and Mwanza has been selected to be the headquarters of the East African Community trade organization. The city is primed for massive growth, and now is the ideal time to pursue this opportunity and strategically position the Association to take advantage of this booming market.
However, to do so, we need your assistance. The reality for all our member charities and artists is that we simply do not have the capital to open a storefront on our own. But with your help, we can make this opportunity happen and give our members the chance to lift themselves up! Please consider donating to help make this dream a reality.
The requested amount will be used to cover the following costs:
$7000 will cover one year of rent (approximately $585/month, or 1,000,000/= Tanzanian Shillings/month, average rent for a prime location in town)
$1500 will cover initial start-up costs such as shelving, display racks, point-of-sale equipment (registers, tax machines, etc), signage and marketing
$1500 will cover a year of salaries for employees to operate the shop
There’s an African proverb that says “If you wink in the dark, you will never get a fiancé.” The Mwanza Charity Craft Association is a group of charities and craftspeople in Mwanza, Tanzania, in East Africa, and we have a dream: to open a gallery to sell our handcrafts and artwork. We have many beautiful items to sell- but at this point we are just winking in the dark! We need to find a place to shine!
But our dream is even larger than a simple store: we dream to enable individuals- be they women dying batiks, teenage girls selling handcrafts, or young men living with disabilities learning tailoring skills- to lift themselves up to make a better future for themselves and their families. And we need your help to make our dream a reality.
Who We Are:
The Mwanza Charity Craft Association is located in the city of Mwanza, Tanzania, in East Africa on the southern shores of Lake Victoria. The mission of the Association is “to enable local craftspeople to exhibit and sell their crafts in a way that respects the dignity of each person.”
Our Association supports various charitable organizations and local craftspeople in or around the Lake Zone region. The city of Mwanza is a booming urban center that offers many opportunities as well as many challenges for the city’s residents. Poverty, illness, and a host of issues affect the residents of the city. Our Association helps to provide those with whom we work the chance to develop their skills and sell their products, ultimately providing them the chance to improve their lives and the lives of their families.
Our Association supports two types of memberships:
1. Organizational memberships for local charities that work with vulnerable populations, such as people living with HIV/AIDS, women and young girls, street children, and people with disabilities. These charities provide education and entrepreneurship training to foster independence within their clients;
2. Individual memberships for artists and craftspeople promoting their handmade arts and crafts such as wood sculptures, batik-making, and paintings.
Founding member organizations include:
• Chanua, supporting women and children’s groups
• Lulu Project, educating teenage girls on life skills and entrepreneurship
• Tunaweza, providing skills development for people with disabilities
• Uzima Centre, supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Our Fundraising Goal:
The Mwanza Charity Craft Association is currently raising funds to open a storefront in Mwanza to sell the products of our members year-round. Currently, our member organizations sell their products through their own limited markets and networks. Opening a store in town will provide a year round opportunity for sales and collective marketing, as well as creating the potential of a stable income for the artists and craftspeople. The products to be sold within the store will be made by the individuals supported by the organizations’ services; profits from the proposed store will support the operations of these charities as well as directly benefit those that have made the items sold.
Mwanza is currently experiencing a tremendous amount of development. A new shopping mall is currently being constructed and is slated to open by 2015, and Mwanza has been selected to be the headquarters of the East African Community trade organization. The city is primed for massive growth, and now is the ideal time to pursue this opportunity and strategically position the Association to take advantage of this booming market.
However, to do so, we need your assistance. The reality for all our member charities and artists is that we simply do not have the capital to open a storefront on our own. But with your help, we can make this opportunity happen and give our members the chance to lift themselves up! Please consider donating to help make this dream a reality.
The requested amount will be used to cover the following costs:
$7000 will cover one year of rent (approximately $585/month, or 1,000,000/= Tanzanian Shillings/month, average rent for a prime location in town)
$1500 will cover initial start-up costs such as shelving, display racks, point-of-sale equipment (registers, tax machines, etc), signage and marketing
$1500 will cover a year of salaries for employees to operate the shop
Organizer
Joanne Miya
Organizer
