Art Aids Art

Our Mission

Art Aids Art promotes education, health, and sustainable economic development through the arts in South Africa. Founded in 2003 by educators, we serve adults and children in Khayelitsha, a township near Cape Town.

Residents of Khayelitsha, a township created by the forcible relocation of Black South Africans during the apartheid regime, face a daily struggle for survival due to extreme poverty, substandard living conditions, and high rates of domestic violence and HIV/AIDS.

To address these challenges, Art Aids Art established eKhaya eKasi (“Home in the ‘Hood”) Art and Education Centre. eKhaya eKasi houses several small business pilot projects, a rooftop vegetable garden, an art boutique, children’s after school activities, and an extensive children’s multicultural library.

With our U.S. office based in Altadena, California, Art Aids Art’s American activities focus on educating the public about South African culture and the HIV/AIDS crisis through presentations at schools and community centers, and at home-based beadwork fundraisers. Each year, we lead an intergenerational group of volunteers to Cape Town, home of our South African headquarters, to provide services through our own programs and in collaboration with participating South African organizations.