Imagine you are 43-year-old mother of six children.  You have no husband -- he ran away.   Along with 25% of adults in your country, you are HIV+.   Jobs are scarce in your village.  You have no money to feed your children properly or send them to school. 

This is Julia's story, and it is all too common in South Africa.  Poverty is widespread.  AIDS is the leading cause of death.

Episcopal Relief and Development is offering hope to South African women.   We are working with the Diocese of Cape Town to develop economic opportunities that empower women, helping them achieve self-sufficiency so they can support their families.

In a shantytown on the edge of small fishing village called Hout Bay, women spent their days in forced idleness.  With little education, the only work they could find was cleaning houses.  Drawn to the local soup kitchen with the promise of a good meal, they share their plight with church workers.  An enterprising volunteer had an idea.  Most of the women could sew, and it was work that could be done at home—perhaps they could earn money sewing.   Thus, the Hout Bay quilting project was born.

The quilting project has grown tremendously since it began two years ago.   Literacy education and business training have boosted the skills and confidence of the participants.  This year, they received two large orders, including one from Liberty of London, a specialty store in the heart of the London's shopping district, and one from a convention center in Cape Town that has requested 700 quilts!

For the first time in their lives, these women are earning a steady income.  They can provide for their families' needs. 

ERD continues to assist the women in establishing the quilting project as a registered business and address the challenges of marketing and distributing their products. 

A similar story can be found in the community of Brown’s Farm in South Africa.  Working together with the local church, ERD organized a small cooperative where women, all of whom are HIV+, come together to assemble beaded jewelry.

The tragic reality is that most of these women are dying. They have little time left.  If they die penniless, their children will face a bleak future. 

The beading provides a steady income for the women and their families.  They are able to save money for their children's future.  To help reduce the financial burden on their families, the group plans to put some of the profits into a trust to cover burial expenses for the members.  Beside the blessing of economic self-sufficiency, the HIV+ women gain tremendous support by building friendships with others facing similar circumstances.

Just a few short years ago, women in Hout Bay and Brown’s Farm had little hope.  But with your help, ERD has provided them with economic opportunities and the ability to support their families.    

“Now I can pay my children’s school fees,” says Lukewa, a single mother from Hout Bay. “With my income from the quilting project I can pay these costs without difficulty.  My economic life is much improved and I am very committed to continue in the quilting project.”