UCOTA exists to help poor communities improve their lives through the sale of handicrafts and the provision of accommodation, guiding and cultural performances. Every time you buy a UCOTA craft or service, you are helping UCOTA member to help themselves! At the same time, you receive a unique product or service in return!

UCOTA has 33 member groups countrywide involved in handcrafts production and selling. Women constitute 99% of these groups and are located in rural impoverished communities that depend on subsistence agriculture and have very low income generating opportunities.

The handcrafts produced by these UCOTA members of different types depending on culture and locally available raw materials. The handcraft types include pottery, paper mache,’ beads, tie and dye, wood curving, hand-made paper, basketry, bark cloth, etc.

All the handcraft products made by the UCOTA members are organic. The raw materials used are farm residues and some are forest products. UCOTA assists the handcraft producers to grow the forest raw materials on their farms to avoid the possible depletion of these materials from the natural resources.

The income from the handcrafts supplements family revenue and it is used to meet essential family needs like clothing, food, school dues and scholastic materials for children, health costs etc.

In some instances, a small percentage of the selling price is deducted from each craft sold, and is a contribution to the community development fund which is used to implement community development projects like schools, health clinics, immunization, mobile clinics, adult literacy classes etc.

 When you buy a UCOTA product or service you help the community to help themselves.

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