FEATURED ITEM 

A symbol of sacrifice, forgiveness, eternal Love, and eternal life; these one-of-a-kind fair trade crosses are hand made by artisans living with HIV and AIDS in Ethiopia.
For sale at $12 each with 20% of the sales going to Akron Aids Collaborative

Wear or share a symbol of an ancient culture with these handmade nickel silver crosses on a casual cord, handcrafted by artisans living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. Coptic crosses like these were given as baptism gifts and worn by men and women as symbols of faith in Ethiopia for over 1600 years. The Entoto Beth Artisans was started by the Beza International Ministries in response to the enormous amount of people living with HIV/AIDS in Entoto, a region on the edge of Ethiopia's capital city, Addis Ababa. The influx of population to the city has stressed the region where there is no means of earning an income. Believing that developing income generation was a much better form of assistance than simply handing out aid, Beza Ministries established an art making project. They chose jewelry making because it is not strenuous, and requires little equipment or other infrastructure.