 "Yes I Can" -
a letter from a BeadforLife graduate
Dear BeadforLife,
 | Sarah Nawegulo
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There is no way I can express my sincere, heartfelt gratitude towards BeadforLife. As a former member of I am now an empowered, focused and determined woman who also want to change the life of other women just as BeadforLife did for me.
I still maintain the slogan that Coach Maggie used to tell us - YES YOU CAN, and indeed YES I CAN, just like how BeadforLife inspired me. Before joining BeadforLife I was heart broken, helpless, valueless, I could only look at my past and say "Oh GOD! WHY CAN'T I DIE!!"?
But when BeadforLife changed my life I realized I still have a reason to live.
I went back to school and got a diploma in sign language interpreting because I wanted to bridge communication gap between the deaf and the hearing. Immediately I completed I was offered a three years contract job to work as a sign language interpreter at Kyambogo University.
I developed the mind of lifting up the lives of fellow women and vulnerable people in my home area, so I opened up a community based organization and started writing up proposals for funding, though not yet succeeded in getting funders, I believe YES I CAN. I am also studying to get a bachelors degree in Administrative and Secretarial Science.
I want express how much BeadforLife has transformed my life from a nobody to somebody, from nothing to something. Also to assure new women who have got opportunity to join BeadforLife that you can change your life, your family, community and the whole world from nothing to something as long as you believe in "YES YOU CAN" and indeed YES YOU CAN.
LONG LIVE BEADFORLIFE. Lets empower women!
Sarah Nawegulo
Graduate of third group, Suubi
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Shopping is Giving: The Incredible New Etana Necklace!
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Celebrate summer with a splash of bold, bright color. BeadforLife handcrafted paper beads are the perfect way to welcome the season. They are not only beautiful, but each time you wear our jewelry you are participating in the effort to end extreme poverty.
Summer Favorites:
 | | The Etana Necklace |
Thank you for your great response to our newest necklace, the Etana. Twice the length of our long necklaces, the Etana is perfect for summer because of its versatility and bright, colorful look. We've seen people wearing it as a belt or even in their hair!
We love layering!
Try combining two Sanyu Long necklaces in shades of the same color. Or order 5 Sanyu Bangles in shades of bright summer blues and greens!
Love is in the air!
Our jewelry and shea products make beautiful and meaningful wedding and bridesmaid gifts. Your guests will love sharing the story as they celebrate your special day.
 | | Wedding Ideas |
For these and other items visit our web store.
Your purchase will help Ugandan woman raise their families out of poverty. Thank You!
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 | | Bangles - the more the merrier! |
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Make Every Day Independence Day
for Ugandan Women
In just a few weeks, on the Fourth of July, U.S. citizens will celebrate the freedom we all enjoy to create the futures we choose. Imagine what it must be like to struggle for just a taste of such freedom.
Bring freedom to others by hosting a fun-filled BeadParty event at a farmer's market, family reunion, community festival or art show, featuring our Exclusive Summer Selection. It's so easy! The funds you raise from just one BeadParty provide the means for women like Susan, Evelyn, and Teddy to become self-reliant for a lifetime, and to pass that opportunity on to others. The lumber business they built together is thriving, and they're already creating jobs in their community!
REGISTER NOW to get your FREE Exclusive Summer Selection BeadParty while supplies last!
Watch a video of the BeadforLife entrepreneurs
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And Then They Danced:
Excerpted from the blog of Lela Rain Barker
(Lela is the founder of Bella Lucce, a company that produces
exquisite spa products)
I met BeadforLife co-founder Devin Hibbard in early 2010 at a shea butter conference in Mali. I was there to source ingredients; she was there to find customers for her shea butter Nilotica. A partnership was forged between her non-profit and my cosmetic company. Soon I was on my way to Uganda to see where the shea butter came from. We drove north over rutted clay roads to reach Orum, an internal displacement camp for Ugandan victims of Joseph Kony, the religious fanatic who terrorized almost the whole of Northern Uganda for almost twenty years. His rebel soldiers were a mobile army, traveling from village to village-burning homes, enlisting little boys as soldiers and abducting young girls. They were driven out of Uganda a few years ago.
They left behind 1.4 million displaced Ugandans (80% of whom are women and children). The widows in the IDP camp are the very women BeadforLIfe has enrolled to gather the shea nuts needed to make the shea butter Americans adore in their cosmetics.
Two groups of women came to greet us and share their stories. I was utterly unprepared for what I heard. We began the conversations casually, with my asking about how they were, telling them how much I loved their shea butter. After the usual niceties. I was timid about introducing the subject of the rebels so I asked each one "Are you married?" "Is your husband alive?" "How many children do you have?" And then "What was your life like with the rebels?"
The women, who had previously been careful to make eye contact, each slowly gazed out into the distance, their eyes glossing over a bit and told me their stories: most husbands were dead, several of the women were living with HIV, many children had been taken as foot soldiers, most girls terrorized by the rebels. Their voices were low and I felt like their eyes were dams holding back a river of emotion that they dare not unleash. Stories of inexplicable horror poured out, the things you see in movies, the kind of terror that haunts the dark crevices of your nightmares...Kony and his followers as the ultimate bogey men. Click to read more...
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Attention Youth Leaders:
Kids make a difference and have a great time!
If you're a camp leader looking for summer camp activities for kids, look no further. BeadforLife's free Curriculum for Youth offers lessons that are both fun and inspiring. The hands-on activities focus on understanding global poverty and ways to help to end it. The curriculum is perfect for art camps, faith-based youth groups, scout troops, etc.
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