Sarah Goulalamy, BeadforLife-Europe staff member, looks back at her experience working with our organization over the past year, and her efforts to educate and engage Europeans. She then talks about her upcoming visit to Uganda, and the opportunity she’ll have to see the results of her efforts firsthand.
Guided by the values of generosity, solidarity and exchange, I have naturally chosen to orient my career towards solidarity-based economy. Joining BeadforLife has allowed me to reach that objective. For the past year, I have been a member of the team at BeadforLife Europe, an organization that has assimilated the principal of international solidarity: working as a team with the local population in Uganda to pass on skills and know-how, which is a cooperative effort that defends fundamental rights, rather than charity. Each human being has the right to live with dignity and BeadforLife helps women in Uganda do just that, and in a sustainable way without giving handouts. These are the reasons I am so proud to be a staff member at BeadforLife!
My experience within the organization has allowed me to learn a great deal professionally, especially with regards to raising public awareness about something as significant as extreme poverty. Reaching out to people is a challenge that has greatly motivated me and has left me optimistic and deeply engaged. Furthermore, this past year with BeadforLife has also given me the opportunity to grow personally and to meet a multitude of amazing people, all engaged and working for a better world.
Wanting to broaden my experience in the field, I have decided to go to Uganda to meet all of the amazing people there who struggle daily for a brighter future. Travelling and meeting new people are my passions; I love to discover new horizons, different cultures and lifestyles. I’m looking forward to what will certainly be an emotion-filled adventure, and a great encounter and cultural exchange between people from different continents fighting for the same cause.
Let me finish with a quote from Pierre Rabhi, writer and pioneer in Agro-ecology:
“Do not cling to the alternatives by saying they will change society. Society will change when the morals and ethics take over our thinking. Everyone must work in depth to achieve a certain level of responsibility and conscience and especially of the sacred dimension that makes us look at life as a magnificent gift to preserve. “
Tags: Africa, BeadCircle, Beaders, BeadforLife, Empowering Women, Europe, Kampala, Poverty Eradication, sustainability, Uganda, Volunteer