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| Grass-roots enterprise: BeadForLife employees converge on program cofounder Ginny Jordan (c.), who records the value of their
beads on a computer. Jessica Scranton  BeadForLife: Papercraft path out of poverty |
In Africa, a papercraft path out of poverty
Poor Ugandan women turn their lives around by handcrafting for BeadForLife, a small Colorado-based nonprofit group.
from the October 31, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
The jewelry that Ms. Mary along with the other beaders makes begins as recycled magazines, posters, or donated material that is then cut, rolled, and finished with a waterproof coating. The resulting jewelry ranges from one-strand necklaces of beads the size of a quarter to delicate three-strand bracelets. The average beader earns $850 a year.
And Mary? She's now one of the top beaders. She has saved more than $600 toward the price of a new home and started a bead-supply store. She and her family are eating well, and her health is improving.
Mary is not the only one benefiting: 90 percent of the women in the program are eating better, and 70 percent claim to be in better health, according to the BeadForLife website. "The women are really hard working," Wakefield notes. "No one is here just waiting for something to happen to them. They are up early beading or finding the most beautiful paper.... [They] are aware of the opportunities we are providing for them and taking full advantage of the situation."
About 300 women are enrolled in the BeadForLife program. To qualify, a woman must be very poor, meaning that she either makes less than $2 a month, is living with AIDS, or is a refugee from northern Uganda. Fourteen tribes are represented in the group.
Wakefield ascribes most of their success to the bead parties and the way they engage Americans to help. "One thing BeadForLife has done," she says, "is make it easy for people to get involved. We say, 'Hey, come on, it's easy, have a party, wear beaded jewelry, and people relate to this and want to help.'" It's also a cultural experience, with DVDs, photos, stories, and the beads themselves being part of the party. A connection is made between purchaser and beader. "It's a revolutionary idea," Wakefield adds. "Our project has, at the very center of it, a human heart. We make real attempts to help people know each other on two continents."
The program also aims to lift women out of poverty by promoting home ownership and entrepreneurship. BeadForLife helps women start businesses, and after two years, they graduate from beadmaking into a small business of their own with limited support from the organization.
BeadForLife also provides training in personal finance, will preparation, and microfinance. They counsel women on ideas for small businesses, such as motorcycle repair, popcorn making, money lending, and healthcare services. The largest triumph thus far has been their partnership with Habitat for Humanity to create a new village for the beaders.
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