"One by one makes a bundle" African proverb
Note From
the Director
Rose ducked behind the torn curtain that separated her sleeping
mat from the living space. We had come to say goodbye to Rose, her 4 children,
and mother who live together in a cardboard and wood hovel. She shyly
reemerged to present us proudly with a colorful woven mat that her mother
had made for us. Clapping my hands, delighted with the mat, I hugged my
friends in total appreciation for the generosity of this poor family.
Always I leave with something; a mango, papaya or greens, a woven change
purse, or a simple blessing for my family and me. The poor understand
the circle of energy that supports everyone. This is one of their strategies
to remain resilient and alive. Although impoverished they still experience
the delight in giving. The beaders, who are so alive with hope and hard
work, fill up my heart with their gifts of smiles.
This generosity of spirit is being matched by an outpouring of generosity in North America by women who want to make a difference, who want to participate in this big problem called world poverty. One example of this is the amazing response we are having from an article about us in the May Family Circle. Over two hundred and fifty women from every part of North America have signed up to give Bead Parties in the next three months! Thank you for opening your homes and passing on the circle of good feelings with our Ugandan sisters.
A truth about generosity is that it feels good. It is enlivening. And it helps to relieve suffering. One by one we make a bundle…
Torkin
Wakefield and the Bead Team
.
Meet Achan Grace
and
'Gift from God'
It was a miracle that the faint cry of the baby was heard at all. Having been placed in a dustbin shortly after birth the chances of surviving were remote. A passing policeman heard the baby and found it wrapped in a dirty blanket.
The policeman returned to his slum with the baby. Word went out in search of someone to care for this foundling. Achan Grace, stepped forward. She is mother of five children, including two-year-old twins and three big brothers, all of whom are under the age of eight. They all live together in a mudroom without electricity or running water. She embraced with love the responsibility and cost of caring for yet another child. She named the baby 'Gift from God' and calls him simply 'Gift'.
Grace is a refugee from the war in Northern Uganda. She had been living in abject poverty before she became a beader for BeadforLife. She had tearfully relinquished one of her children, 3-year-old Joseph, to an orphanage because her children were starving to death. Now she has brought Joseph home to live with his siblings and the new baby.
In the photo she is holding up a red necklace and earrings that she made
for Oprah Winfrey. She won the contest with these beautiful beads and
we sent them to Oprah. Hasn't she got an incredible smile for someone
who has endured a difficult life and is so lacking in material things?
.
BeadforLife Supports HIV Positive Teenagers
BeadforLife has always envisioned supporting other like-minded organizations that are doing effective work. We are pleased to announce that we have made our first grant to the Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinic, Mulago Hospital, to support a club for HIV+ teenagers. In this club there are 250 young people who have lived their entire lives with HIV. Now they are becoming teens struggling with all of the challenges of adolescence and HIV infection.
Look at the kids hamming it up. They are just like kids anywhere, wanting to have fun. But they are also different because until recently the likelihood that they would live to adulthood was remote. Many are orphans and come from impoverished homes.
At the club the kids dance and drum, do art, have a yummy snack and soda, and make friends. Each teen is part of a family group where they discuss what it is like to live with HIV: to be discriminated against, to take medicine every day without fail, to cope with the infections and rejections, to have to tell potential partners your HIV status and to always practice safe sex.
This September BeadforLife will partner with Power of Hope, an amazing youth leadership organization in Washington, to sponsor the first camp for HIV+ teens in Uganda.
Giving a grant to other organizations doing good work is an accomplishment for the Bead Circle. You are a part of making this happen, you and all of the others who together make up the Bead Circle, working to stop poverty. Think of these kids the first Saturday of each month for they will be gathering together because of BeadforLIfe support, which you give us.
One by one we make a bundle.
Every 30 seconds, an African child dies of malaria.
It is a health crisis that affects not only the beaders, but also impoverished people worldwide. Malaria kills 3 million people each year, and many more children suffer permanent brain damage. Malaria also hurts the economy costing Africa $12 billion dollars in lost economic output every year.
The most tragic part of this story is that a relatively cheap intervention- a mosquito bed net - can drastically reduce the incidence of malaria. The good news is that a consortium of international agencies has just launched an initiative to provide nets to everyone in Africa who needs them, and you can be involved. For $10, you can provide a family with a mosquito net that will last for 5 years and training in how to properly use it.
BeadforLife recognizes how debilitating malaria is and has distributed nets to all of our members and their families. Now you can help expand this effort across the continent of Africa by making a donation to provide a mosquito net to a family in need.
To donate, click
here for the United Nations Foundation page
For more information on malaria, click here for the Millennium Promise site
...
Shopping is Giving:
It's June and that means graduations and weddings and you want a great gift. That's where the beads come in: they make wonderful graduation, bridesmaids, and "thank you" gifts. We have beautiful hand crafted beaded jewelry in a multitude of colors to suit every taste. Happy June!Ideal Spring Gifts:
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Try five bangles together of different colors…it's a great look
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3 and 5 strand necklaces offer beauty and style to any outfit. $20 and $30 respectively
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long necklaces are fantastic, so versatile: Wear them long, or doubled, wind around the wrist or ankle. Bargain at $15
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Band bracelets offer bold color and are stretchy and easy to wear. Look great on men. $15
Check out these and other items at our on line store
Your gift gives twice; once to the lucky recipient and once to the woman who made the beads.
Volunteers Needed:
The BeadforLife home office in Boulder, Colorado is always looking for volunteers who have some time each week to help us. Usually volunteers help us with assembling party packs, answering the phone, unpacking the beads from Uganda. So if you are nearby and want to have a great volunteer gig please call Patty at 303 554 5901.Curriculum Development Needed
BeadforLife has written a curriculum about poverty, Africa, AIDS and activism for high school students. We need a teacher or someone familiar with curriculum development to help us fine-tune it to meet established educational standards and make it ready for distribution to teachers. If you can help with this task please contact TorkinThanks to all!
