"It gives one hope, this great strength of Africa."
Stephen Lewis, UN Special Ambassador for AIDS in Africa

Beads to Bricks to a Dream Come True: A note from Board President Ginny Jordan We arrived at Friendship village on a warm Saturday morning for a day of house dedications. Women, men, and children, in their finest and brightest clothes, greeted us with the enthusiastic hugs. The women saying, “You are most welcome,” had a new meaning this time.
We were being welcomed to Friendship Village, now a bustling community of 80 houses. Gardens ripening with cassava, beans, and greens surrounded each home.

Today we were dedicating 10 new houses.  All the villagers gathered, singing and clapping in front of each house in turn.  The local priest and one of the Muslim contractors offered prayers and gave their blessings. BeadforLife presented each woman with a small mango tree and a wish for abundant health and happiness for all those who will live in the home.  We all honored the new homeowners with our tears and with our applause for the hard work of saving money and taking such a big step. One by one, each woman told her story.

Winifred  Mirembe spoke through a teary voice:
“When my husband died of AIDS, my in-laws assumed I would die also and chased my four small children and me from our home, taking our possessions.   We lived in a small shed behind a church.  I did laundry for the church people for a few shillings, enough to feed the children corn meal.  People called me “Mama Troubles.” After I joined BeadforLife, I learned that it would be possible to have my own home. I didn’t really believe it, but I started saving just in case.  Then I became passionate about saving and we continued to live in that shed so we could save money.   Now those people who thought I would be dead by now will never believe this belongs to me!”  She twirls around and embraces the brick wall of her simple two-room house.

Village Vice Chairwoman Sanyu Robinah and Winifred Mirembe

For me, as a board member of BeadforLife, this was an affirmation that home ownership is an important step out of poverty.  We are committed to assisting more of our members to build houses in Friendship Village, or to secure a bit of land and build their own homes.   One by one paper beads are becoming bricks and hope and shelter for families coming out of poverty. 

Thank you for your support which makes these homes possible.  It’s all of us working together that makes a better world.
Ginny Jordan, BeadforLife Board President

David Torach Can Wear Shoes Again!

Small tears roll down David’s cheeks as he sits in his hospital bed gazing at his feet.  “I have not been able to wear shoes for 30 years,” he sobs, wiggling his toes.  At 15, David Torach’s feet began to swell as fluid accumulated with alarming speed.  Soon both of his legs were deformed, growing impossibly big. He was suffering from elephantiasis, a permanent condition in which lymph fluid cannot re-circulate and pools in the calves and feet. Walking was difficult, and the social ostracism of such a deformity left him feeling quite alone.

Being disfigured was only one of his burdens. On a dark night in 1989, rebels entered his village in Northern Uganda, killing his neighbors and burning his house. David and his wife, Alice Akello, fled into the bush with their children. They moved to a camp for displaced people in Kampala where David and his wife worked in a stone quarry earning about $2 a day. His disease made working very difficult.

In 2004, Alice became a beader with BeadforLife and life began to change. They saved their income and managed to build a home in the new village. They sent their children to school and saved to start a business.

When David became aware that BeadforLife sponsored a charity bed at the International Hospital in Kampala, he asked if we could help find a cure for his elephantiasis. We held out little hope since it is considered permanent, but decided to ask on his behalf. Imagine our delight and surprise when we were told, “One of the few experts in the world, a Canadian surgeon named Ben King, is working at our hospital. Please bring David in.”  In January, the doctors operated on the first leg, and on the second in July. The photo shows David in the period between his two surgeries.

Putting on his shoes is a great delight. David says with a smile, “I’m going to go home to my people in the north and show off my new legs.” 

Shopping Is Giving!

Vacations are ending, kids are going back to school and people are telling stories about their summers. Make BeadforLife one of your stories by purchasing one of our beautiful items for someone in your life. We offer an array of red, orange, and earth tone beads that are perfect for the fall.