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closeSumner Arts Commission sells handmade beads to raise money for women in Uganda
BeadforLife event brings awareness of poverty in Uganda, offers beautiful handmade beads for sale
Roxanne Cooke
Last week, the Sumner Arts Commission women marveled over the collection of handmade jewelry that will be on sale as part of the BeadforLife event hosted at the Sumner Pierce County Library.
Ugandan women made the necklaces, bracelets and earrings from paper beads. The women cut long, triangular strips of paper, roll them up and paint them with shellac for a glossy touch.
“We were quite impressed with the high quality of work,” said Arts Commission Chair Barbara Bitetto.
BeadforLife is a program that aims to eradicate poverty in Uganda. Proceeds from the jewelry will go directly to programs that support the health, education and housing of Ugandan women.
“The quality of the product is high and the whole thing behind it is supporting the African women,” said Carol Bell, a member of the Arts Commission and retired managing librarian at the Sumner Pierce County Library.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 29 at the Sumner Library. Jewelry and other items will be on sale, African music will play in the background and more information on the program will be available.
“They have vibrant colors and they’re lightweight,” Bell said. “The color range was just fabulous.”
The program is part of Pierce County READS, which encourages the county to read the same book and participate in a variety of related programs. This year’s book is “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” by Alexander McCall Smith.
“We are supporting the Pierce County READS program and this is an African program that we thought would fit in well,” Bell said. “We encourage everybody to come and bring a friend.”
Though the Ugandan jewelry isn’t directly related to “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” it’s meant to tie in with the theme in general — women in Africa.
“Rather than having a program relating to the book, we thought this would be adjunct to whole program,” Bitetto said.
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BEAD FOR LIFE
> What: In conjunction with Pierce County READS, the Sumner Arts Commission is hosting BeadforLife to support the community of Ugandan women who turn recycled paper into beads and jewelry. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, jewelry bags, loose beads, note cards and African music CDs will be on sale during the event.
> When: From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29
> Where: Sumner Pierce County Library, 1116 Fryar Ave., Sumner.
> Cost: Event is free and jewelry ranges in cost from $5 to $30. The Arts Commission will accept cash or check.
> For more information, visit www.beadforlife.org.
DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BEADER
Abiriga Lucy is one Ugandan woman who makes beads for BeadforLife.
Here’s a look at her typical day:
>6:30 a.m.: I wake up, dress and clean the household and compound.
> 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.: I dig in my garden, planting, watering and weeding. I also fetch water.
> 9 a.m.: I bath and prepare tea and do laundry.
> 9:30 a.m.: At this time I start working on beads.
> 11 a.m.: I start the charcoal to make lunch while I am rolling beads.
> 3 p.m.: I eat lunch with the grandchildren. They wash up the utensils.
> 4 p.m.: I work in my garden which helps me to stretch my back due to over sitting while rolling beads.
> 5 p.m.: I fetch water and clean utensils and begin supper. I clean up the house.
> 6 p.m.: I eat supper with my grandchildren, who live with me as orphans.
> 8:30 p.m.: The grandchildren go to bed. Then I work on my beads until my eyes are too tired.
> 11 p.m.: I bath and pray and then to sleep.
Source: www.beadforlife.org