As part of our social commitment to improving the lives of the communities from which we purchase art, Jega International is currently working with the physically disabled community in Cameroon through Issek, our featured artist.

Issek lives in a region of Cameroon where large numbers of the physically disabled subsist on whatever money they can collect by begging on the street. After becoming successful Issek, who has polio, started a nonprofit organization for other disabled people in his village. His organization, HandiArt Issek, provides disabled students the ability to make money without begging. Students receive instruction free of charge, learn a valuable skill, and are provided with income through the sale of their work.

As HandiArt has grown in size, it has increased in scope. HandiArt is now authorized to provide legal representation on behalf of the physically disabled, who have traditionally been a marginalized group yet are unable to navigate the complex legal system on their own. With the financial support provided by Jega International, Issek has worked with more of the physically disabled population and is working to establish an orphanage at HandiArt.