Gulu, Uganda.

It all began in 2010 when my neighbour Toni Andrews arrived at Holy Crow Beads with boxes of paper beads. She and her husband, Rick had just returned from Gulu, a small town in northern Uganda. While in Gulu, Toni had met a group of beaders who call themselves Lacan Kwite. (In Acholi, Lacan Kwite means “struggle out of poverty”.).

For many years, Northern Uganda had been the scene of the conflict with the Lord’s Resistance Army. The group first came together in an Internally Displaced Person camp. In the camps they had organized themselves to make and sell paper bead jewellery so they could afford to send their children to school. The conflict had taken a toll, leaving those remaining to care for large adopted families.

The Lacan Kwite was having a difficult time finding many buyers for their jewellery but Toni and Rick saw the potential for a wider market. The Andrews founded Paper Bead Works and began selling their jewellery under the name “Kwite Essential Beads”. The Italian Aid Organization, AVSI, oversees the group and assists them with their business. In 2010 they had invited me to go to Gulu to provide the group with training sessions on beading techniques and design.

I have travelled to Uganda to work with the group 7 time since 2010, each time teaching new techniques and jewellery designs.
The project came to a natural conclusion in 2019 after 9 years of supporting the education and medical needs of the group. Watch the video below to hear the full story.

(My work in Uganda opened the door to lead a training course for men and women in Yangon, Myanmar.)