Imani Workshops

Imani Workshops was established in January 2005 as a branch of the Family Preservation Initiative under the Indiana-Kenya Partnership's AMPATH program. The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) was created by the partnership between Moi University School of Medicine and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, and a consortium of North American academic institutions led by the Indiana University School of Medicine.  AMPATH is one of Africa's largest, most comprehensive and effective HIV/AIDS control systems, and is now expanding its scope to include delivery of essential primary care services and chronic disease management. 

Imani Workshops is a revenue-generating social enterprise focused on producing high-quality crafts by HIV positive artisans in western Kenya. Due to the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, many AMPATH patients have a hard time securing a job or accessing credit for a business loan. The Family Preservation Initiative and Imani Workshops gives these people a second chance at getting their life back on track while, at the same time, promoting economic self-sufficiency. Imani employees all earn a living by producing high-quality handmade goods such as jewelry, fabric bags, handmade paper and beadwork. 

One hundred percent (100%) of the income earned through sales is reinvested in the workshop through which artisans benefit from employment, skills training and other forms of empowerment.  Imani Workshops is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, an association of fair trade wholesalers, retailers and producers whose members are committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide. 

To purchase Imani Workshop items, please visit their webpage at http://www.imaniworkshops.org