The Uganda Alliance is a student-run organization that sells crafts made by a mothers group in Uganda, with 100% of the profits returning to the women in the craft group.

Harper Clark, a senior studying microbiology and treasurer of the Uganda Alliance, shared her experience of studying abroad to visit the mothers’ group.

“I got to see where [the crafts] come from and talk to them in person,” Clark said. “It’s hard not to feel some kind of obligation or connection to them to do what you can […] It’s like ‘Why not?’ If it’s such a big impact for somebody, there’s no good reason not to be a part of it.”

The Uganda Alliance offers members of their organization the unique opportunity to study abroad in Uganda in both the spring and summer semesters through a collaboration with the study abroad center. While students are abroad, they will connect with the mother’s group, see the program they must graduate from to be a group member and deliver the funds made by craft sales on campus.

Not only do members of the women’s group in Uganda have a chance to earn an income through the crafts they make, but before joining the group, they gather in a nutrition education center that provides them with a nutrient-dense porridge and skills to make more nutrient-dense food in the future. The porridge easily combats malnutrition in both the mothers and their children.

“It’s a really good mission, and I can see the direct benefit from the club to those women,” Erica Buettner, a junior studying industrial design and president of the Uganda Alliance, said. “It’s just an untapped market in Iowa versus Uganda.”

The organization hosts around five pop-up craft sales a semester. The dates and locations for this semester’s sales are listed below:

• 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday in the Memorial Union
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 11 outside Parks Library
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 18 outside Parks Library
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 24 outside Parks Library
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 1 outside Parks Library

“It’s a good way to get to know people, but it’s also a good way to see direct good come from your actions,” Buettner said. “It doesn’t take a lot of time, but there are direct benefits that go back. The women who make [the crafts] get an income, and it’s really easy for you to do.”

The Uganda Alliance holds occasional meetings that last 30 minutes to an hour. The meetings serve a purpose by reviewing craft sale revenue and showing footage from the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL). The organization does not have set dates for these meetings, as they base meeting dates and times on members’ availability.

To learn more about the Uganda Alliance meeting times, email Erica Buettner at [email protected].

“I think it’s a really good way to stay involved,” Clark said. “Once you leave [your study abroad program] you’re like ‘What now?’ You can continue to be a part of that community through [the Uganda Alliance].”

For more information on the Uganda Alliance, visit their website or follow their Instagram page.