A Note from North American Director Devin Hibbard

I first met Joan Ahisimwe three years ago when I visited her home to enroll her in BeadforLife.  Joan is an HIV positive widow whose husband died in 1998, leaving her with four small children.  Her husband’s brother insisted that she become his second wife, as is customary in Uganda, but Joan could not bear this and fled, penniless, with four children in tow. 

Joan stood out immediately, because with the very first money she earned rolling beads, she dreamed of something bigger. She soon opened a small store with her earnings, selling soap, cookies and aspirin during the day, and sleeping behind the counter at night.  Today, Joan not only runs a store, but also built a home at the BFL Village and has leased a large tract of land where she is growing crops for sale in the local market. When she graduates out of BeadforLife in September, Joan will not only be self-sufficient, she will be creating jobs for other impoverished people as well.  This was possible because BeadforLife provided an opportunity for Joan to sell a beautiful product to a receptive audience.

As BeadforLife grows, we continue to question how we scale up to reach many more people.  In this age where business is arguably the most powerful force on the planet, how do we harness it so that 1.2 billion impoverished people can follow Joan’s example? We believe business can create positive change by valuing social and environmental impact as well as profit.  Over the next year, BeadforLife will explore various opportunities to connect new entrepreneurs in Uganda with people around the world who want to see business change the world, for good. 

As the North America Director, I have experienced the incredible need people here have to participate in a movement to eradicate extreme poverty. This need goes beyond simply writing a check.  In the coming months, we will ask for your help in creating business linkages - for products ranging from coffee to baskets - so more people can overcome extreme poverty through their own hard work.  Stay tuned…

In the meantime, for ways you can work to create positive and life-creating businesses, check out our Take Action section below.

On behalf of Joan, and all the entrepreneurs around the world with visions of a better future for their families, weybale nyo.

Devin

The Bead Circle Community: BeadforLife Connects Women Around the World: From Guatemala, to the Serengeti, to Brooklyn

Guatemala:

Santos Lidia Segura Díaz lives in a cloud forest in Soledad Grand high in the mountains of Guatemala.   She is part of la Asociaciòn de Mujeres de Soledad Grand, which assists women to start up small businesses.The women in Santos Lidia’s group help each other cope with the hardships of poverty. 

Santos is making a necklace of bright blue BeadforLife beads brought to her by Lauren Moscoe, a Peace Corp volunteer.  Lauren’s mother went to a BeadParty in Rochester, New York and bought some loose beads, which she sent to Guatemala.

The beads were a big hit with the Guatemalan women who delighted in making necklaces and hearing about other women.

Lauren writes,
 “ I thought bringing the beads to the group meeting would be a good opportunity for the women to be inspired by the work of another women´s group so far away.  They were, and so am I. We had a great time beading with the beautiful beads you all make.   Made us feel closer to  others also struggling for a better life.
Thank you Ugandan women .”

Tanzania: Marie Ole-Itosi danced with other Masai village women as they moved together bobbing up and down in the distinctive steps of a welcoming dance.  Her village, called a boma and built of mud, dung, and sticks, sits on the edge of the great Serengeti plains in Tanzania.  Her radiant smile, revealing missing teeth and an inner playfulness, invited Beadforlife Director Torkin Wakefield to join in the dancing.  Placing a beaded plate sized collar necklace around Torkin's neck she demonstrated the undulating moves needed to make the necklace sway up and down.  With a commanding hand gesture she invited  Torkin into her home, disappearing into a small doorway that lead to a dark circular interior.  A cooking fire glowed in one corner where maize boiled slowly.

Her eyes lit up when she spotted the bright golden bead bangle Torkin wore on one wrist.  Gesturing towards the bracelet she indicated she wanted to see it.   “Paper beads,” Torkin said to uncomprehending ears. The bangle was soon on her arm joining the dozen other bracelets she proudly wore.  Taking a small beaded medicine bag from around her neck, she ceremoniously placed it over Torkin's head.  Pleased with themselves for this transaction, they hugged in the dim light.  They each had a new prize possession creating a bond without words, sharing a beautiful moment despite very different lives. They connected through beauty, sisterhood, and beads.

Brooklyn:

Women from the Housing Works Women’s Health Center in Brooklyn, New York struggle with poverty, homelessness, and AIDS.  These are similar problems faced by the people that BeadforLife serves in Uganda.  So when art therapist Krupta Jhaveri wrote to tell us how our beads had worked magic in her HIV+ women’s group we were delighted to make friends.

“I have introduced the women in my groups to BeadforLife by showing the video, allowing them to see and hear the stories of the Ugandan women. I had them each hold a loose bead during the video (I purchased them on your web site), asking them to note how different it might look after hearing the story behind each one. The response was incredible, and we had a discussion about how they could identify with these women.

In these moments of inspiration from hearing the stories, I showed them how to make paper beads themselves, step-by-step. They experimented with the process, throughout which they acknowledged how much patience it must take to make such perfect, beautiful beads. Most importantly, they began to open up about their own life stories, and the activity became binding/containing/soothing as they bonded over similarities in their lives.  I wanted to let you know the package came through (letters from Ugandan beaders)  just fine and it was simply overwhelming to receive. The women were eager for even deeper connections.”

This growing connectedness among women from many walks of life and places on the globe speaks to the power of women reaching out to women, as well as the universal language of beads, beauty, and hope.    That’s the BeadforLife way.

Take Action:  Make Business an Engine for Poverty Eradication

Business is one of the most powerful forces in the world today and can either be an engine to promote sustainable change or a contributor to social and environmental exploitation. Here are a few things you can do.

*  If you own a business…
As a business owner, you can do a great deal to fight poverty and create an equitable society in your country.  Pay fair wages, offer benefits if you can, and have positive environmental policies.  Click here for information on Living Wages – calculated based on the cost of living in different regions. 

*  If you own stock in a company…
Holding stock in a large company with thousands of other people can make you feel powerless, but a growing number of people are using their rights as shareholder to ask companies to improve their environmental or social practices at general meetings.  While their resolutions often fail to pass, the attention it brings to the issue often encourages company managers to take voluntary steps to improve practices.  For more information on shareholder advocacy, click here.

*  If you want to invest…
You can invest your money in socially responsible companies, giving them the capital to grow and expand their reach, and earning a competitive return on your investment.  There are now many companies and investment portfolios that offer socially responsible investing with many angles.  BeadforLife is still waiting to identify a fund that is focused on helping create jobs and opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa, but until that time, check out these other resources on socially responsible investing.

Shopping is Giving!

Summer is finally here!  It is a time for weddings, graduations and family reunions.  School is out, freeing up time to relax and reconnect with family and friends.   By purchasing a beautiful and unique item from BeadforLife you not only help one Ugandan woman raise herself out of poverty, but you also bring her story, hard work, and joy into your home and into your heart.  BeadforLife items are meaningful as well as beautiful -- ideal wedding and graduation gifts.  
 
Ideal Summer Shopping:
    * Weave Bracelet:  NEW ITEM! Available in four fun colors, this delicate bracelet is the prefect summer gift $10
    * Single Drop Earring: Funky and fun, this item adds a splash of color to any outfit $10
    * Loose Beads: Create hours of summer fun for the entire family $12     

  Check out these and other items at our web store: Your gift gives twice; once to the lucky recipient and once to the woman who made the beads.   Thank you.

Translation Needed: 

If you speak and write French we need your help.  We would like to translate a few of our materials into French.  If you have a few hours to give to BeadforLife please contact devin@beadforlife.org.  Thanks.

Trip to Uganda in November!!
This is a great opportunity to meet some of the beaders and see the BeadforLife projects in action. While BeadforLIfe has decided not to run the trips as an organization anymore, we have seen the great impact they have on people. To keep this opportunity available, Mark Jordahl, leader of two of the first three trips and husband of co-founder Devin Hibbard, will continue to offer trips independently through his new venture, Conservation Concepts.

Letters from the Bead Circle

Hi BeadforLife,
Now that it's almost a year later (eek!!!) I'm finally sending you some pictures of my sister's bridal shower.  The bracelets were a HUGE hit - everyone loved them and people really got talking about the whole BeadforLife organization.   People were swapping to match their outfits or their favorite colors.  It was fun and meaningful!

My sister Kate (the bride) was very touched that the $ spent for her shower would be used by the beaders to improve their lives. Kate took the laminated biographies of the beaders and her beads to show her clinic staffers the next day.  Thanks again. You helped make my sister's day so much more special.
Best wishes, Cristin Surette