Misfortune seemed to follow me, and when my sister, who helped me care for my family, died in 2002 my life went downhill. I was alone, jobless, and with four children to feed, cloth and send to school. I tried to go begging for money from churches and refugee support organizations. I would do odd jobs like washing clothes for people whenever I could. We ate only one meal a day and sometimes this was just a few small pieces of fried cassava each.

I was at a free HIV treatment centre in a local hospital where I first heard of BeadforLife and the opportunity to begin making paper bead jewelry. I remember the first day I sold beads... I earned only 3,000 shillings (approximately $1.50 US) because I was still learning and my beads were poor quality. However, I was so proud and ecstatically happy - this was the very first time I had ever earned my own income! Each time my earnings improved I would improve our diet, buy clothes, and I was even able to send the older children to school. I began saving money in a bank account that BeadforLife helped me to open and started a small retail business. My life was completely different thanks to BeadforLife and the people who purchased our beads."

Then Joan heard about BeadforLifes vision of starting a village. She says, When I first heard that BeadforLife was going to buy land and help us to build and own houses, it seemed like a far-off dream - impossible to believe. But I started to save money... just in case it came true! You can imagine what I felt when I was chosen in the first group to go and build our houses!

Over two years, Joan was able to save 1.5 million shillings (approx $880 US) for her house down payment and has now moved into the Bead Village. The first night she spent in her new house she could not sleep because she was so excited!

Now Joan is slowly paying off the rest of the house through a mortgage of 2.29 bags of cement ($26 US) per month. She likes knowing that her mortgage payments also go towards helping other people build their houses and she is working towards opening a small brick-making business that will help her to continue earning income into the future.

When I ask about her new life in the village, she proudly shows me her vegetable garden where she has planted sweet potatoes, cassava, cabbage and green pepper. Her neighbors are all nice and friendly, and the greatest challenge they face is that of a language barrier. The children in the village are generally able to speak English and Luganda, as well as some Luo, and can communicate well, while the adults are all beginning to learn each others greetings and languages.

I asked her if she ever plans to go back to her home district of Kanungu to settle there and she quickly answers no. She sends her children to see their paternal grandparents during the holidays, but that is enough. "My life is here now."