Africa

Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 film has been an internet sensation.  Last year, Elizabeth Mac hosted a BeadforLife Bead Party as part of her Peace Meal Project, and made it an event to benefit both BeadforLife and Invisible Children.  Here is what she had to say: “Members of The Peace Meal Project host potluck dinner parties [...]

Continue reading about Full Circle–A BeadParty to raise funds for BeadforLife and Invisible Children

BeadforLife Staff on March 14th, 2012

Meet Acola Bitokorina, one of the many shea nut gatherers we purchase shea nuts from in Northern Uganda. Bitokorina is fifty-three years old and has never received an education beyond second grade. Her father did not value formal education and so when the costs became too burdensome, Bitokorina and her six siblings stopped attending school. [...]

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BeadforLife Staff on March 13th, 2012

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.   Controversy is good. It makes people aware of the complexity of global issues. This is what we’ve all witnessed over the past week [...]

Continue reading about Kony 2012 Campaign. . . Now what?

Devin Hibbard on March 9th, 2012

By now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen or heard of the Kony 2012 campaign—as have 62 million other people around the world.  Incredible!  The goal of the film is to make Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, famous so that the US government will keep 100 military advisors in [...]

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BeadforLife Staff on March 8th, 2012

In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay, and voting rights.  Since that simple collaborative action, the world has made great strides in both how women view themselves and how society considers women as economic, political, and social equals to men. Today, on the 101st annual International Women’s Day, [...]

Continue reading about Educate A Woman, Empower A Village

BeadforLife Staff on March 6th, 2012

The BeadforLife team in Iganga, Uganda has been hard at work helping our members prepare to start sustainable, agricultural business projects by the next crop cycle in April. Over the last few months, all of our members took part in entrepreneurial training activities such as visiting model farms and attending agricultural seminars. They will soon [...]

Continue reading about BeadforLife Bangles for Bikes Exchange

Jennifer Rowell-Gastard on February 28th, 2012

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 [...]

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Alecia McClure on February 20th, 2012

Consider this:  Out of the world’s 130 million out-of-school youth, 70% are girls  (The Girl Effect) One girl in seven in developing countries marries before age 15 (USAID) Gender inequality continues to be a pervasive global issue, especially when it comes to education. We know that girls who stay in school through their teenage years [...]

Continue reading about Ending Inequality One Girl at a Time

Georgia Fowler on February 14th, 2012

To most Americans, Valentine’s Day is known as the holiday for expressing love to one another. But to thousands of women and men around the world February 14th is V-Day, which stands for much more than chocolates and flowers.  V-Day is part of a global movement to end violence against women and girls. Volunteers around [...]

Continue reading about BeadforLife and V-Day: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

Karen McKenna on February 9th, 2012

The BeadforLife team was finishing up home visits to the members in Iganga when we met Eseza, a malnourished four year old girl with severe burns along the right side of her face. Her right eye was entirely burned shut.  Eseza  had fallen into a pot of hot beans at a neighbor’s house three days earlier. [...]

Continue reading about Eseza’s Story