| Join Our BeadCircle |
Culture & Community
Stories That Inspire
by Torkin Wakefield “My jajja (grandmother) raised me and my brothers and sisters. And also some cousins and neighborhood orphans. She said that although she could not send us all to school but for a few years she was glad that she had enough money for soap to be clean and paraffin to light the lantern.” Olivia, a BeadforLife beader, is relating the story of her life. Her eyes cloud with tears when she says “My jajja became paralyzed 8 years ago and now she just sits on the floor and can not leave her hut. She crawls on the floor pulling herself.”
|
|
 Mercy Ajok before the surgery. |
This jajja, Rebecca Mukisa, by her own reckoning has raised over 40 children. “Sometimes I did not think I could do it, but then I just kept going and somehow we all ate.” Like so many grandmothers in Africa Rebecca has raised her grandchildren and neighbor’s orphans after 5 of her own children had died of AIDS. These elderly women are heroines, holding together the fragile lives of children who have been orphaned. The thought of this 87 year old hero unable to move moved us to action. BeadforLife has a small amount of money we call our “Compassion Fund.” Sometimes individual donors give something specific to it and sometimes it is used when we discover a heartbreaking situation that we want to do something about. |
|
| About a year ago Sharon Perun of Woodbury, CT sponsored a little girl, Mercy Ajok, to fix her cleft palate. This life changing operation has put a smile on little Mercy’s face and BeadforLife sent Sharon this photo of Mercy as a way to thank her. Sharon’s husband, Jack, wanted to participate and signed BeadforLife up with his company, General Electric, to be part of the employee matching grant program. This meant that another child had her cleft palate repaired. Then Sharon’s mother, Judith Grim of Bethlehem, CT seeing Mercy’s photo asked if she could help someone through the Compassion Fund. Judith sponsored a wheelchair for Rebecca and the world got brighter for both of them. |  Mercy with a beautiful smile after her surgery! |
|
 Rebecca with her new wheelchair. |
Last week Phoebe Hedwig, BeadforLife Health Coordinator, and Torkin Wakefield, Co-Founder arrived unannounced at Rebecca’s hut “deep in the bush”. They found Rebecca patiently sitting on the floor, her swollen legs awkwardly folded under her. Olivia burst through the doorway “Jajja! Jajja! We’ve brought you a wheel chair!” Rebecca started to cry and then burst into a hymn of thanksgiving. The family crowded around helping Rebecca into the chair and over to the window, where for the first time in years, she could look outside. The “Weybali nyos nyos” (thank you thank you) echoed in the simple home for about an hour. The newborn baby was promptly named “Sharon” to honor Judith and Sharon. Tears and laughter flowed in equal amounts. “I can go to church on Christmas!” exclaimed a beaming Rebecca clapping her weathered hands together. Then Rebecca sent children scurrying off in many directions bringing us a fat pumpkin, aromatic roasted groundnuts, a bunch of bananas, a papaya, and steaming corn. Everything they had to give they gave to Phoebe and Torkin. This mirrors the generosity of spirit that surrounds Rebecca and her life work. |
|
It gives us great delight to know that, thanks to Judith, who lives a world away, Rebecca will spend her final years able to move about. And the thought of her going to church on Christmas for the first time in 8 years, is just about the best Christmas present Judith could imagine. And Sharon, who could not have children, is beaming to know a little girl a world away was named for her. These are miracles of the circle of love and generosity that is BeadforLife. |
 Phoebe standing, Rebecca, baby Sharon and Oliva to left of Jajja Rebecca |
|
| © 2004-2011 BeadforLife | BeadforLife Photographer: Charles Steinberg | web design: Ladybird Communications |
