On Friday, I attended a “BeadforLife BeadWear” party at a friend’s house. There were no demonstrations or games, just beaded jewelry for sale made by Ugandan women who are struggling with AIDS, poverty and violence. The women use colorful magazines to roll the beads which are then sold around the world through BeadWear parties.
The “BeadforLife” Web site goes into a lot of detail about the women who bead, their mission, the jewelry, how to host a party, etc. It’s really quite an amazing project.
Because the beads are made from rolled strips of colored paper (from magazines), every piece of jewelry is unique. There were many to choose from at the party and I had a hard time deciding which one to get for myself, but finally chose a blue choker necklace. I also bought some other pieces of jewelry for Mother’s Day gifts. :)
The BeadforLife project has received media attention from Oprah – she included information in her Oprah Magazine. And the Denver Post ran an article about the project in January 2005.
If you’d like to do something to support these incredible women, consider hosting a BeadWear party, order some jewelry online or just spread the word about the project. Together we can help “eradicate poverty one bead at a time.”
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