BeadforLife began with a chance encounter between a Ugandan woman, Millie, who was rolling beads near her mud home, and the founders, Torkin Wakefield, Ginny Jordan, and Devin Hibbard. Stopping to admire the beads, the women learned that there was no market for her jewelry, and that Millie worked for a dollar a day in a rock quarry crushing stones in the hot sun.  They admired her paper beads and bought a few, never realizing that their lives, and the lives of so many impoverished Ugandans, were about to change.

When friends at home admired the beads, the three women realized that there might be a market after all. Torkin returned to Uganda, and Devin and Ginny began to develop a marketing strategy.  In Uganda, Torkin held classes to improve the quality of the beads and develop several styles of necklaces and bracelets.  Soon women in the US began to hear the stories of the beaders and buy their beautiful jewelry.

In September of 2004 the founders launched BeadforLife in the belief that they could build bridges of understanding and commerce. Little did we know what an amazing endeavor was being born.

BeadforLife Launches a Cottage Industry Throughout Uganda

When BeadforLife did its first unsophisticated market research by going to several dozen stores in Kampala we did not find one vendor selling paper beads. Now, three years later, paper beads are everywhere. Many other non-profit groups, and for-profit individuals are now selling paper beads. Locally, many low-income women are finding small markets for their beads. We are happy to have launched this cottage industry in Uganda and take pride in knowing that we have helped thousands of unknown people find an income through beads.