On my last visit to Uganda, I spent almost six weeks working with the women of Kireka to help them set up a program of group production so they could make their beads and jewelry faster. It was an amazing experience and I think that I learned as much as they did. They are an amazing group of women and we  can all learn so much from them about resilience, determination, and how to survive in a world where the odds are stacked against you.

Before, the women all worked on their own at their homes. They struggled to find the paper, the supplies, and the time to create their jewelry.  And it was difficult to get the jewelry to have any consistency. Lengths were different, colors were different, stringing methods were different and it was impossible to count on any consistent quantities. But, the new program has them coming to the Kireka center for a few days each week to work together as a group. In this way they can create necklaces that are all the same length and the same style. They can create bracelets that are all the same size. And they can have access to supplies that make the job a whole lot easier.

But the group production also offers something else that I had not thought of. It offers them an opportunity to socialize. Their lives in the camp are hard and at home there is always so much work to do to maintain their families. But at the center, sitting on mats working in this group, they can talk, laugh, share stories, ask each other for advice, and just be friends for a few hours.  Sometimes they sing together, sometimes one stops to nurse a hungry baby, and sometimes they cry together over some recent tragedy that has occurred. They do all this while creating the beautiful jewelry that we hope to sell for them to make their lives better. And as I sat on the mats watching them work, I was amazed at how much joy they were able to find in just coming together to work.

I hope you will visit ourCraft Shop to see what they have been able to create.