Are you looking for an eco-friendly product for the fashionista on your shopping list this year? Check out Beads for Change. This program employs women of Uganda who live in hillside slums. They are refugees after decades of war in northern Uganda. Their only previous means of supporting their families was to crush rocks for approximately $1 a day. Imagine having to feed, clothe and house your entire family on a dollar a day… I simply can’t. Their reality is completely unimaginable to me.
This program teaches their employees to make beautiful beads out of used paper that would otherwise end up in a scrap heap. They make these beads into necklaces, earrings and bracelets that can be purchased and worn worldwide as a way of supporting women and the environment.
This program not only provides training and employment for the women involved. The crafters receive a professional wage and training on financial management for long-term success, budgeting tips, savings tips, entrepreneurship training and micro-finance training.
Each piece of jewelery comes with a tagged picture of a woman who’s life you are helping to change. You can pieces individually, have a house party to promote the products to your friends or even do a fundraiser for your child’s school or team activity by purchasing these beads. It’s amazing how a purchasing decision can make such a huge difference!!
