BeadforLife beads

Back last November (or so) the Seattle Times had an article about an organization called BeadforLife. I had never heard of it, but anything with the word "bead" in it grabs my attention. I was super impressed with this organization and the beautiful things they sell. Here is their mission statement, directly from their website:

"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."

I love the fact that this organization is honoring the beautiful creative work of women by buying/selling their creations to help eradicate poverty in a respectful, ongoing, and hopefully long-term way.

BeadforLife was started so that instead of being paid $1 a day to work in a rock quarry, women in Uganda could be paid fair trade prices for their beautiful beads made out of recycled paper. Beadforlife's net profits are used to invest in community development projects in Uganda. Turns out, you can order jewelry or loose beads from their website, or hold a bead party to sell the jewelry for them, with BeadforLife sending you all the supplies you need for the party FOR FREE!

I would just like to dive into the bowl full of loose beads that I ordered from them.

Here's a bracelet that I made from the beads. I think I would like to somehow include at least one bead in things I make, even if it is just a decoration on the info tag of a knitted bag, to spread the magic of these beads further. Something simple, unpretentious and very beautiful made by a woman living halfway around the world.