After three years of living alone in his Ugandan village, 13-year-old Muhebwa Richard no longer has to watch the other children walk past him on their way to school.
Orphaned by HIV/AIDS, Richard could not afford to return to school until he met Andria Sherrow, founder of the emPOWER Campaign. Now, Richard attends boarding school in a neighboring village and his $750 educational fees are covered by emPOWER.
The emPOWER Campaign, which Sherrow launched in Athens in 2004, is an independent non-profit organization that sells handcrafted Ugandan jewelry in the United States, then funnels the profits back to Uganda to send orphans to school, Sherrow said.-
Sherrow said.
All of the crafts are purchased fair trade, Sherrow said. If one woman makes eight triple-strand necklaces in one month, she earns $64, which is a significant amount in comparison to Uganda's $264 gross national product, the estimated total value of goods and services produced by a country, she said.
Every Wednesday, student volunteers sell the jewelry in Baker University Center and it is also sold at most large events, such as the International Street Fair and on special occasions, such as Mom's Weekend, Sherrow said.
Proceeds from the sales are used to pay for the supplies necessary for Ugandan orphans to attend school and to purchase more jewelry, Sherrow said. The campaign has no administrative costs.- Sherrow said. We keep them off the streets because school is the safest place for an orphan or vulnerable child to be.
Before the AIDS epidemic broke out, 2.4 percent of Ugandan children were orphaned, but by 2000, the rate had increased to 5.7 percent, according to an emPOWER informational video. When Ugandan children are orphaned by AIDS, their educational options are reduced by 50 percent.
Since the program began in 2004, 130 children have been sponsored and the goal is to raise $10,000 by June, when Sherrow returns to Uganda, she said.
Jewelry prices range from $5 to $30, with the average price at about $15. It costs $35 to sponsor one child for a year in primary school, Sherrow said.
The jewelry is crafted from tightly wound, recycled paper, but also from materials native to Uganda, such as banana leaves, avocado seeds and natural dyes, said Christina Conrad, a junior social work major and emPOWER intern.
Because Sherrow serves as a direct liaison between the Ugandan communities and the campaign's activities in Ohio, contributors to the cause know exactly where their money is going, Conrad said.
Sherrow is directly connected to the villages and knows everyone by name, said Whitney Durban, a junior communications major and emPOWER intern.
There's no middle man
Durban said.-
Durban said.
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Anthropology alumna Emily Schipper sets up shop Wednesday for the emPower jewelry sale in front of Baker University Center. The group emPower sells jewelry made by women in Uganda on campus to support underprivileged children.
