BeadforLife helps Ugandan women rise above poverty
A group of women sit in a Ugandan village and roll triangle-shaped pieces of recycled paper into brightly colored beads.
After being strung into necklaces, bracelets and earrings, the beads are sent to the U.S. where some end up for sale on BeadforLife’s table in the UMC.
“The purpose of BeadforLife is to create a bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Uganda,” said Chris Mulvany, a 21-year-old junior international affairs major who works with the organization. “It’s people helping people.”
Aisha Stambouli, a 20-year-old junior international affairs major, said many of the Ugandan women who roll beads have risen from poverty because of their work. The beads become their income, providing them with food, money for their children’s education, housing and medicine.
“Without BeadforLife, these women would be living in extreme poverty and would be unable to support their children or their own health,” Stambouli said.
More than two-thirds of the beaders are living with HIV or AIDS and many are refugees from the war in northern Uganda. Beading gives them otherwise impossible opportunities, including owning a house and feeding their families three meals a day.
Every week, people working with BeadforLife visit the Ugandan women to buy their jewelry. When it is sold in the U.S., 75 percent of the money is sent directly back to the beaders.
Cassie Stevens, an 18-year-old freshman environmental design major working with BeadforLife, said awareness is an important part of the non-profit organization.
“We want to let people know what’s going on in the world,” said Stevens, “and give them an opportunity to help out by buying beads and supporting the women in Uganda.”
The BeadforLife group at CU goes further than just selling beads. They organize a Gulu walk, which is an event that raises awareness for Uganda’s abandoned youth. The group also partners with other student groups on campus during an awareness week for Uganda and Darfur and organized a benefit concert earlier this month.
A table is set up every Wednesday and Friday in the UMC from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. where the jewelry is sold. The table is a massive collection of bright jewelry, covered in strands of every color and various shapes.
Necklaces cost $10 to $30, bracelets are $5 to $15 and earrings are $10. The most popular items are the beautiful and brightly colored bangles. Many people buy several of the bracelets in different colors to wear together.
There is also a store in Boulder located at 1143 Portland Place, Suite 1, or the jewelry can be purchased on the BeadforLife Web site.
You can contact Campus Press Staff Writer Morgan Keys at morgan.keys@colorado.edu
