Seguku Women's Association (SeWA) - Natural Organic Fair Trade Arts & Crafts from Uganda Africa

Seguku Women’s Association (SeWA) is a nonprofit organization; dedicated to improving the lives of women, children, and families throughout Uganda. Established in 1998, SeWA members sought to tackle the social and economic problems they faced.

The major challenge identified by SeWA members was to find lasting solutions to their economic and social problems. The primary solutionwas to identify member driven, income generating projects. Some members of Seguku Women's Association had skills in the making of hand-crafted items. This gave birth to SeWA Art & Craft Center, with a goal to bring together members, families and groups with Arts and Crafts skills, and to engage in production to create finished products to be sold. Over the years, SeWA Art & Craft has been able to contribute to home improvements for members while facing the challenges of a sustainable market for the products.

After selling the items, almost all of the proceeds are channeled directly to the producers, which leaves little to sustain the SeWA Art & Craft Center. A solution was effected in October, 1999. SeWA started a Tailoring and Weaving project. The Tailoring and Weaving Unit employs eight SeWA members and the proceeds help sustain and to purchase materials needed for the Art & Craft cooperative. In 2007, SeWA members expanded with an Animal Husbandry project to raise and sell poultry and pigs. Due to market competition from other producers, at national levels and neighboring countries (i.e. Kenya and Tanzania), SeWA created, in 2008, a website to share information about their work, and created on online store for SeWA Art & Craft. SeWA provides support to all members in their entrepreneurial ventures through training, marketing, and business planning and development.

SeWA currently consists of 23 women’s groups, each with 15-25 members, and 11 individual members. Membership is open to any group or individual interested in the industry crafting, regardless of skill level. These groups that comprise SeWA are: local churches, mother’s unions, Christian womens fellowships, and HIV/AIDS support groups. The individuals that belong to SeWA are single individuals, single mothers, widows, and young girls, of which many are also school dropouts.

SeWA serves five districts in the Buganda region: Masak, Mpigi, Wakiso, Luweero, Kampala, and Mukono. SeWA is located in Central Uganda in Seguku village Wakiso District, about 12 kms from Kampala.

To mobilize, train, and empower women and youth economically and socially through skills development, in order to enable them to play their rightful role in society, and in the development of their families, communities, and the nation-at-large.

To sensitize and train women and youth to their capacity in the development of income-generating activities towards self-sufficiency.

To empower women, youth groups, and individuals involved in arts and crafts, in the making, designing, and quality of these items; as well as gathering, collecting, and marketing such items for the benefit of the members.

To mobilize available technical and financial assistance suitable for different industrial activities for the benefit of the members of SeWA and the communities.

To put resources, products, and services together in a pool; in order to attract a bigger market for selling and increased community participation.

To enhance community participation in the development of income-generating activities in order to raise the standards of living for members and their families.

To do all such other things as may be deemed incidental or conductive to the attainment of the above objectives.