In this issue:
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Greetings BeadforLife Supporters!
BeadforLife is capturing the hearts and minds of good hearted North Americans who want to get involved with helping hardworking Ugandans make their way out of extreme poverty. Now in our tenth month of providing income to beaders we can already see marked improvement in their lives. Health and nutrition have improved, children are going to school, a few items have been purchased for their homes. The beaders are using their income for basic needs: food, rent, medicine, education, and clothes and blankets. A few enterprising beaders have started vegetable stands and bead supply businesses.

BeadforLife is now launching its four pronged community development programs in Uganda: education and vocational training for youth, health care and health information, savings programs for sustainable living, and affordable housing. Read about our partnership with Habitat for Humanity to build an entire village with the beaders.

As we ask the beaders what they want to say to their friends in North America, we almost always get a similar answer: "Tell our sisters and brothers that we now have hope. Please tell your friend about our beads so that our children have a good chance in life. Blessings to each and every one of you, your families, and your ancestors! Appoiyo."

Remember that beads make fabulous gifts that have meaning. They are easy to order and we pride ourselves in sending your web orders out within a few days. Thanks for being part of the Bead Circle - eradicating poverty one bead at a time! -Torkin Wakefield

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The BeadforLife Team
Meet Jajja Josephine

Namutebi Josephine is a 60-year-old woman who has lived a very difficult life. She gave birth to 8 children and struggled to raise them, but six of them died of AIDS and left Josephine to raise her grandchildren. Of the four grandchildren that Josephine takes care of, three are HIV positive and often sick.

Of her two surviving children, one was helping Josephine provide food for her family. However, he fell off the roof of a house he was contracted to build and has been in recovery for some time. Josephine's husband had his leg amputated because of cancer and he stays home and is also dependent on his wife. Josephine never went to school. Prior to becoming a beader she used to dig in people's farms when she could find the work, earning only $30 - $50 dollars a month. She and her family could only afford to eat one meal a day.

Since Josephine joined BeadforLife, her life has improved. Her grandchildren are in school and she can now eat better food. She is a lively and happy lady despite all that she has gone through. She is full of love. The other beaders call her 'Jajja' a title meaning grandmother and implying respect. She is a very good dancer and she loves to sing and dance. Since BeadforLife provided her with reading glasses, she has been making very fine beads.
Click here to read other beaders' stories

Announcing The Triple Swirl Necklace!

click image to go to store

The beaders have designed a gorgeous necklace linking three beads in clusters to make a chain of colorful swirls. You will love the way it shimmers. Thank you beaders for your amazing creativity and talent. The Triple Swirl is available now on our website store.

BeadforLife Partners with Habitat for Humanity to Build a Beader's Village.
When we ask our beaders what their dream for the future is they always have the same answer. They want to own a home and a small piece of land for a garden. In Uganda, owning land is a fundamental security against poverty. Exploring what BeadforLife could do about this led us to discussions with Habitat for Humanity/Uganda. It is our shared dream to work with the beaders to buy about 20 acres of land near Kampala and to build between 50-75 homes. Our village will also have a nursery school, playground, community center, soccer field, and perhaps space for simple shops and a community garden.

When we told the beaders about the possibility of a village in which they could build their own house they literally wept…then they sang and danced. A standard house is a four room brick and mortar building with a pit latrine and shower cubicle in back, surrounded by a kitchen garden. Each house costs about $1500 to build. Because many of our beaders are caring for orphaned or vulnerable children, we may also qualify for some funding from the US Agency of International Development (USAID). The rest of the costs will be borne by the beaders and they will be expected to come up with a down payment in materials like bricks and cement, as well as making monthly payment over a 5-10 year period to pay off the rest of the house. Based on their current bead sales, this is within the reach of most of our beaders.

Much work lies ahead to make this village a reality. Over the next year, we will form a beader steering committee, raise money, buy land, develop a comprehensive plan, and begin building.

We invite you to participate in the building of this village by coming on two week "building camps" sometime in 2006. We will be working side by side with the beaders sharing food, stories, and dancing. Perhaps at the end of the visit we can all go on safari and see the amazing animals of Africa. Stay tuned for details as this project progresses.

Radnor High School, Radnor, PA, joins the Bead Circle
...as reported by teacher and organizer Beverly Galloway

Radner High School recently had a "Bead" event. The cooperative effort of administrators, faculty, students and parents resulted in a very financially successful effort. The real joy came from the reaction of all the participants. Hoping to make our event more than another shopping spree for jewelry, an assembly was organized for all 1100 students plus faculty and staff. Luckily, our principal, Joane Eby, was born and raised in South Africa and shared her love of the people and the continent. Chris Sterman, a faculty member, had taught for three years in South Africa and had everyone spellbound with his experiences that including triumph but also violence. Lois Wysocki and Sue McFarland shared statistics on the birth rate, mortality rate of Aids and hunger and the level of poverty
experienced in this country.

Then we showed the DVD of the beaders themselves and you could have heard a pin drop. Those beautiful, happy and resourceful Ugandans looking out in the audience was mesmerizing. The students were full of questions about how to help. The enthusiasm of the Radnor High School community spawn a three-day, $6,000 event and they were begging us to plan a future event as soon as possible.

This was one of the most rewarding social service projects experienced at our school. The empowerment felt by these young people was uplifting and contagious to those volunteers selling the beads. We were making a difference and it felt so good!

Thank you BeadforLife for your vision and your work on behalf of these beautiful people. You can count on Radnor High School to be your partners again.
“If you want to host an event or BeadParty, click here to sign up”
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BeadforLife
1630 30th st. Suite A Box 349 , Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA
bead@beadforlife.com