Welcome to BeadforLife

On our Website, you will find stories about fascinating and beautiful people both in Uganda and the United States. (Check out Meet the Beaders.)  Our beaders and tailors are primarily impoverished women who are hardworking, intelligent, and strong in their desire to improve their lives.  They make gorgeous handcrafted paper beads and turn them into necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.  Our tailors make elegant jewelry bags from handprinted cotton fabrics. In addition to buying and selling the beads, BeadforLife also sponsors community development projects in health, education, vocational training, affordable housing, and savings programs.

BeadforLife Mission Statement:

"BeadforLife creates sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of extreme poverty by connecting people worldwide in a circle of exchange that enriches everyone."

BeadforLife is guided by the following principles:

1.   Creating jobs through local partnerships is a more sustainable approach to poverty eradication than providing aid. Rather than become dependent on handouts from abroad, the beaders build their skills and long-term capacities through meaningful creative work.

2.      Concerned citizens in resource abundant countries care about the issues of extreme poverty and are willing to get involved.

3.      Paying our beaders fair trade prices allows them to meet their daily economic needs.   Investing 100% of our net profits in community development projects for impoverished Ugandans allows for a long-term sustainable future.  

4. Partnerships formed between North Americans and Ugandan beaders enrich all of us.

How BeadforLife Began:

BeadforLife began with a chance encounter between a woman who was sitting near her mud home and the founders, Torkin, Ginny, and Devin. They learned that there was no market for her beads and that the woman worked for a dollar a day in a rock quarry. They admired her paper beads and bought a few. Soon friends began to admire the beads and they realized that there might be a market after all. Classes were held to improve the quality of the beads and develop several different styles of necklaces and bracelets. In North America BeadforLife applied for non- profit status and began to develop it’s unique program of citizen participation in eradicating poverty. The wonderful Bead Circle of support sprung up and allowed BeadforLife to expand the programs. Our approach includes the income generation activities of making beads, but also offers programs in health, vocational training, entrepreneurial training, microfinance grants, and affordable housing. 

BeadforLife Launches a Cottage Industry throughout Uganda

When BeadforLife did its first unsophisticated market research by going to several dozen stores in Kampala we did not find one vendor selling paper beads. Now three years later paper beads are everywhere. Many other non-profit groups, and for profit individuals are now selling paper beads. Locally many low-income women are finding small markets for their beads. We are happy to have launched this cottage industry in Uganda and take pride in knowing that we have helped thousands of unknown people find an income through beads.

Welcome to the Bead Circle!

Painting by Beadcircle member Charlotte Jorgensen, Boulder

'Kamu Kamu gwe mugaanda' or 'One by One Makes a Bundle' 
- an African proverb

Your participation makes a difference.  All of us together complete the Bead Circle: the Ugandans, party and event hosts, volunteers, those who buy, give, wear and love these beautiful beads. There are already thousands of us wearing bright paper jewelry made from strong Ugandan hands as a symbol of our commitment to sharing the abundance we are fortunate to have. The blessings and wisdom of the beautiful Ugandan people will return to us a thousand fold.

Keep the circle growing by hosting a bead party or community event  See How to Help and be sure to sign up for The Bead for the latest news and stories from BeadforLife.

"Way Bali Nyo" (Thank you).