Lalam, Agnes has a huge smile and playful personality despite the difficulties in her life. At 27, she has been a widow for four years. She married a soldier at 15 years of age and had four children. She and her husband had been forced by the government to leave their village near Kitgum in Northern Uganda due to rebel activity. Her husband was sent to fight in Sudan and was killed. She mourns him, and especially the fact that she never saw where he was buried.

Agnes’ extended family that lives with her is somewhat typical of the Acholi Quarter. Living with her are three of her four children, ages 5-8, a brother-in-law,18 , and two nephews, ages 22 and 7. Agnes’ oldest child, Irene 12, lives with an aunt but does not go to school for lack of fees. They live together in a one room house that is neat and clean. A fabric devides the room into two areas, creating a sitting area and a place for mats and clothes, and mattresses. At night the entire small space becomes the bedroom.

Agnes had a positive HIV test in 2003. As of yet she has received no care. She receives a food allowance from an Italian NGO once a month. She used to support herself by making an alcoholic brew but since BeadforLife started buying her beads she concentrates on bead making. For fun she says she likes to tell jokes and stories. Her dream for her future is to have a small businees so “if I die my children will be ok”.