Welcome to Friendship Village, where the members of BeadforLife are building homes, planting gardens, and leaving poverty behind. Beaders place a down payment and are able to pay their mortgage off with their bead jewelry.

Here is a video from the first Land Title ceremony in 2010, when 60 village homeowners achieved full payment on their mortgage:

The Story of the Village

Friendship Village growth:  Feb 2008 - 55 houses; Jan 2009 – 106 houses
March 2010 - Village complete - 132 houses

In 2007, BeadforLife entered into a collaboration with Habitat for Humanity to develop a housing project based on hard work and mutual support. By Spring of 2010 the Beaders had built a total of 132 houses. A football field and a playground were finished, as was a rubbish burning area.The Village now has its own governance committee with nine officers overseeing everything from security to youth programs. It will be owned, managed, and maintained by the residents.

The Community building is now used as a school - the Freindship cademy

The Village Gets a Name
Everyone was excited to discuss the name of the village and a lively conversation brought a list of possibilities. Since the village is multi-tribal there was agreement that the name should not be one specific tribal name. Swahili names were considered, especially Umoja (unity) and Rafiki (friends). In the end, Friendship Village was chosen by a vote to announce to the world the feeling and intention of this community.

Friendship Village Site It was an exciting day in January 2007 when BeadforLife finalized the purchase of 18 acres near Mukono, a town about 12 kilometers from Kampala. Community planner Campbell Mayer had searched for land for almost a year. The Mukono land was worth the wait for many reasons: it borders a road and therefore is not isolated, primary and secondary schools are nearby, and there is a trading center within walking distance where residents can buy supplies and also sell goods.

Planting the land boundaries with trees

The Houses
The villagers’ former houses were one room made of mud and sticks, with dirt floors and tin (usually rusted) roofs. This small room might be occupied by as many as 10 people! When it rained, the houses often flooded. The new houses are built with fired bricks, a raised foundation, cement flooring, and a roof made with 30-gauge iron sheets. Most have two bedrooms and a living area. The beaders spend a lot of time on their front porch verandahs where they can roll beads and watch their children play. They do not have running water or electricity, but there are two new hand-pump wells producing clean cool water in the village.

The houses are being built in pods of 6-10 homes that make up neighborhoods within the village. Beaders choose from six house designs, depending on their needs and budgets. The houses are designed to be built in stages; if a beader can only afford a small house at the outset, she can add to it later. Each house has a ventilated two-pit latrine and bathing area.

Gardens Everywhere Even as the bricks are being laid, the homeowner is digging up her plot and planting her garden. Cabbages, sweet potatoes, corn, and beans are abundant. Villagers are eating a substantial portion of their food right from the soil around their new homes. Flowers of every hue bring beauty and individuality to each house.

Cornerstone Building
Our first community structure, the Cornerstone Building, provides secure storage of materials, a project manager office, and a classroom. This room doubles as a church, meeting hall, play space, and visitors center. The Cornerstone Building is situated centrally and serves as a "welcome.”

The Cornerstone Building

The Wells
Water is a critical part of the village. Often Ugandans walk many miles to fill jerry cans and haul them back home. In the village, two wells are located centrally, making water readily accessible. Three wells will provide potable water from pure aquifers. These wells are drilled deep and designed to prevent bacteria intrusion.