Bead for Life jewelry with a heart hand made in Uganda
Beas for Life is a nonprofit organization existing since 2004 and founded by three American women who had a special encounter with Ugandan women. The concept that launched the accessories line is based on making beeds out of recycled paper, an activity made primarily by Ugandan women. These women go through the nonprofit organization program Beads for Life before delivering the products : a women empowerment program basically. Not only women are learning to make beads out of recycled paper but they also sell their own creations to Beads for Life in fair trade wages. In 2004, Oprah Winfrey did an article about Bead for life in her magazine and that’s pretty much what launched the organization and the concept.
Photos Diane Cazelles pour UFFP reports from Feriel Berraies Guigny
The American link to Uganda?
A lot of Americans visit this country because it is English speaking, but actually one of the founders of the organization used to live in Uganda with her HIV doctor. He was at that time in an international mission at the Hospital of Kampala. The wife and cofounder decided then to invest herself in something “that had a sense to the world” then Beads for life was born.
Fashion with sense
There is a lot of humane stories and meanings behind each paper beads you may find when wearing one of the bracelets or necklaces. Seven hundred women are currently working, rolling beads. Today 1000 have gone to the program. It” s an eighteen month program where the women learn to make the beads so just so they can raise money and then they go to the Capital to sell them.
Raising money to raise women autonomy
Women start having money and financial autonomy, so they eat better feed their children better, send them to school. Women start putting money away as well and then start having savings accounts. The training really gives them entrepreneurial skills and later on, they start their own businesses. Only after 15 months of program, they stop doing beads and they launch their own activity: raise farm animals, have their own restaurant, or sell second hand clothes, food etc
The women of this program can buy the local papers at the markets, they collect all the throw away paper and sell it
A unique and special piece
Each piece is unique and has a special touch with an ecofriendley finishing approach.
Beads for life is ETHICAL, ECOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY, NON PROFIT, and LAST BUT NOT LEAST WOMEN EMPOWERING as an ETHICAL CIRCLE OF EXCHANGE
BIG UP LADIES FROM UNITED FASHION FOR PEACE FRANCE !