Art Aids Art Creating Sustainable Development Through Art, Literacy and Self-Image

Art Aids Art is an Altadena California and Cape Town South Africa based nonprofit founded in 2003 by educators and human services professionals. The organizations serves two key initiatives; educating American citizenry about South African culture and the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis and serving women and children in the impoverished areas surrounding Cape Town.

The organization provides economic opportunities to South African artists collectives through art sales in the U.S.A. Annually the organizations  leads an intergenerational group to Cape Town to provide services in partnership with South African organizations.

Art Aids Art also has an ongoing “Babies And Books” program collecting gently used black dolls and multicultural literature for the children of eKhaya eKasi Center in Khayelitsha township. Books are prohibitively expensive in South Africa and still often limited to the Afrikaans and in South African child centers dramatic play areas tend to have only white dolls – providing no opportunity for children to see a reflection and validation of themselves.

To find out more about getting involved through cash contributions and donations of dolls and books visit http://www.artaidsart.org