I love unique jewelry. I scavage my way through flea markets looking for pieces that are different from the things you see every day. Visiting a particularly interesting market in the Cape with a friend I came across a booth entitled “Bead for Life”. Intrigued, I took a look, and fell in love. These bracelets and necklaces are really awesome and bright and colorful. They come from a pretty great story too…
Bead for Life is an organization that started by pure chance and has changed so many lives already. While touring through Uganda, the three founders of the would-be organization happened across a local woman, Millie, who was making interesting beads from scraps of paper she glued together and dried in the sun. Millie did this for pleasure, believing there was no market for her craft. She also worked for a dollar a day crushing rocks in a quarry. The three ladies bought some beads and after friends at home admired them, they realized that a market did, in fact, exist.
Three years later, these beads are a hot commodity and are seen across the US, Uganda, and the world at large. BeadforLife aims to create “sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of extreme poverty by connecting people worldwide in a circle of exchange that enriches everyone” (mission statement). BeadforLife is a totally awesome way to donate and make a difference for families in poverty by giving these incredible women the opportunity to help themselves change their situation.
I think that charity is working with the people, not just throwing money or aid at them blindly because when you work with them, you really know what their needs are.
Make sure to check out their website, http://www.beadforlife.org/index.html, where you can learn about helping selling these beads by throwing a bead party or learn about the women working over in uganda and their families.
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