This size necklace makes a great lanyard! Attach your ID tag for work and you are set!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Bright Blue and White Varigated Medium Length $15.00
This size necklace makes a great lanyard! Attach your ID tag for work and you are set!
Monday, December 7, 2009
# 8 Short Fat Yellow/Black with Fat Bracelet
The yellow isn't quite so bright in person! $15.00 necklace $10.00 bracelet
#6 and #9 Super Long, Fat Mixed Beads $25.00
These two are super unique! They are very long 24 inches and way cool! Definately and attention getter!
#3 Short Fat Necklace, Short Fat Bracelet
Items can be purchased alone, or if you want, many have matching items. This necklace sells for $15.00 and the bracelet sells for $10.00. The color of this item is a light creamy color with hints of black.
#2 Long Multicolored
Each necklace is completely unique, but has the same general color scheme. The longs can be double or tripled. (Adri, this is the one I originally sent to you via e-mail)
New Beads Are Here! #1 Long Multicolored
APF is pleased to announce the arrival of our latest bead order. Each bead is hand-crafted from recycled paper by HIV+ women in Uganda. Each piece comes with a tag explaining how the beads were made, where they came from and who they are supporting! Please take a peak and e-mail or call me as soon as you know what you want!(Adri, this is the one I had in mind for you)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Where We Are
Well, it's been a long time since I've updated the blog. Why? Well, remember I said I was moving full steam ahead? I've been so busy forming APF that I haven't had a lot of time to update the blog. I have been so blessed to come up with our initial board of directors. African Promise Foundation is now rolling! A little background on what we are doing................APF will work with women in Northern Uganda who make beautiful necklaces out of paper. Each bead is hand rolled and when looking at them you would never guess it was made from paper! By creating jobs that help lift women out of poverty, we estimate that between 20-30 people are affected. How? Women tend to care for those around them. That means if one women is financially stable she will spread her income around to those she loves. Maybe it's her brothers orphaned children, her father, her sister and her family. We have a unique opportunity to possibly work with an organization called Paper to Pearls (papertopearls.org). Barbara Moller, their founder had the same vision I had only 4 years earlier. We are hoping to begin working with her as she already has 3 cooperatives of women making beads for her organization. One of the co-ops is made up of a group of formerly abducted child mothers. After beads are brought to the US, APF will sell the beads at a higher cost. Profits will then be spent on orphan care and other worthy projects in the same women's communities. We are so excited about our new relationship with Paper to Pearls. Barbara will be flying out to Seattle next month to meet with us. Other exciting news! We were able to sell our jewelry at Sassy Mei Boutique two weekends in October and November. I am happy to say that we almost sold out! We generated $1600 dollars. We are now working on getting more product for Christmas. The most exciting news is our upcoming trip to Uganda. In January, our board will travel to Uganda with Paper to Pearls founder Barbara Moller. There we will establish our work and set up operations. We are hoping to bring home 2000 pieces of jewelry. When we return home we will start our web store, begin doing home parties, boutique and craft shows as well as seek retail outlets to sell at. We really believe that we are different from other charities because we are not completely dependant on donations. We generate income just like a business does and more exciting, we create jobs for impoverished women. Don't get me wrong, we gladly accept donations, but we don't fully rely on them which sets us apart. I have also been working hard on getting jewelry here by December 1st. We won't have a lot, but I'm hoping to have 200 pieces, much of which will be bracelets. We will be getting quite a variety including chunky beads which is new to APF. I'll post a picture of the anticipated items. We are seeking volunteers! Do you want to help? Please contact us at suzy@africanpromisefoundation.org, or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you. Stay tuned to this blog as it transforms into APF's official blog with a new look!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Here I Go!
It's been awhile. I'v had time to think, to process and to mourn. I've now arrived at the next phase of my African Adventure. When I set out on this journey I thought that I was "serving" people, trying to help others who needed my help. What I've found though, is that although I do make a difference in others lives, it is my life who has changed more then theirs. When I go to the store and see shelves lined with food, I remember the people in Keyo IDP camp bare boned and hungry. When I tuck my kids in at night, I think of Joseph, no mom or dad to hug and kiss him while he is wrapped snugly in bed. When I send my kids to school, I think of Alex, 21 years old, double orphaned, trying to round up school fees to finish High School. My world has changed. From these experiences I've drawn the courage to start African Promise Foundation. I'm laying the ground work and moving full steam ahead. A good friend will be filing the 501c3 non-profit paper work. I'm hoping to have a BYU business team help me with a business plan. I'm looking for committed board members. Are you interested? I also need a Treasurer/Secretary with money management experience. Many people have mentioned to me that I am one of the busiest people they know. Yes, I am busy, but who's not! My youngest is headed to school this year. Thehouse may never be as clean as it could and the yard a tidy, but while the kids are in school I'll spend much of my time working on African Promise. We will be focusing on child sponsorship and women's business development. I just can't forget it guys. Now that I've seen, I must do!
africanpromisefoundation.org
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
My African Promise: For Tiger
It has taken me a long time to post about much of my trip. It has been very difficult to talk about some of the things I've seen because of the weight it has left around my neck. I will continue to post about Africa, but as this is the last official post about my June trip I am ready to talk about Tiger. Tiger is an old man who lives in Keyo IDP camp. After seeing a large group of Americans in the camp, he descended upon us quite forcefully. He began to speak to us in a very angry voice. He said, "You must go back and tell America, tell Obama about my people. I am angry, very angry. Why has the world not seen the suffering of my people, we have suffered for so long!" This continued for some time and all of us watched this beautiful man as he poured his heart out to us. I had no answers for him. So, with tears streaming down my face I promised Tiger that I would tell the people. I promised that I would not forget him. I cannot and will not. I now set out on the next phase of my African journey. I'm not sure where that is leading to. In some ways I feel ready to start a non-profit focusing my energy and attention on needs I saw while there. In other ways I'm too scared to do it. I don't have a clue how to run a business! Either way, I won't forget and I will keep my promise. So, to those I actually converse with. I'm sorry for the amount of time you have to listen to me talk about Africa, but now you know why. I made a promise, one that I intend to keep. If you want to make that promise too, the door is open.
A Tribute To My Son
While in Uganda I was adopted by several wonderful kids. One of them is Joseph. Joseph is a double orphan, both of his parents died when he was young. He is now about 14. The first day I was in Uganda I visited an orphan boarding school. A group of kids were playing soccer with a ball made out of grocery sacks. I asked if I could play and I ended up on Joseph's team. We had this great connection and made some great combination plays. I continued to spend time with him during my stay before the team arrived. It has been hard to even write about this because I'm not sure if anyone can understand how deeply the connection became during my 3 week trip. Leaving him is one of the hardest things I have ever done. On my last day he came to visit me at the hostel with another sweet boy. I told them I would pay for their ride if they could get there. I had a big suprise for Joseph. Joseph loves soccer and his dream was to play on a team. I had arranged for him to be on a Kampala Kids League team and one of their staff was there to meet Joseph and offer him a spot. Joseph was elated and I had my video camera catching it all on tape. The KKL coach asked Joseph if he had cleats and he said no. I was so happy to tell Joseph, on the spot that I had a pair waiting for him in the room. Joseph was so thrilled, but shortly after shared the concern that he would have no transport to get to the practices on Saturdays and Sundays. I had forgotten about that problem during the excitement of planning the suprise. All I had left was $30 USD so I gave that to him to get started. I call Joseph every Sunday morning to ask him how his practices went. Now, he has run out of money and has not been able to go. It breaks my heart when I talk to him to think that for $4.00 a weekend this boy could realize his dream. I am working on getting money to him now and I've pledged to pay for his transport to soccer from now on. I was very sad when I got home and still have difficulty talking about him without getting emotional. He wrote a special letter to Shawn asking him to be his father. Although I don't think Shawn is ready for a commitment like that, he suggested that we get him over here for a long visit. We are now working on that. I miss all of those boys. My motherly heart aches for them. I became attached quickly and deeply and it's hard for me to explain. At times I've felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I have several kids that I am now supporting, and several others that I've been finding sponsors for. Sometimes I just feel like things are so heavy. That's when I've really felt support from people around me. I've told God that I can't do this alone and he continues to send others to help me bless the lives of the children I met. I don't know what will happen with Joseph, but he has changed my life forever and I love him deeply.
Baby Legs and Calle Shirts
I haven't mentioned much soccer, but we did play a lot of games and hosted several clinics. We gave out Baby Legs and Calle shirts as prizes and they were a hit!
Keyo IDP Camp: I thought I'd seen it all.......
While in Gulu we took a large amount of supplies including health and education kits that we assembled to Keyo IDP (Internally Displaced People). Why are these people there? Years ago the government forced the people in northern Uganda to move into these government protected camps. They gave them 48 hours to get things together and promised them protection. It did not work. People were not protected and children were concentrated in one area where the rebels soon began to abduct children from the camps. Children would walk miles and miles alone at night, unaccompanied to larger towns where they would sleep under the verandas of police stations and hospitals because they were more safe in the towns. They would then walk back in the morning and go to school, if they were lucky. Now, the war is over and the people have lived in the camps for so long that they have no where to return to. Squatters have moved onto family lands and while the government claims it is trying to resettle the people, it is happening slowly, too slowly. We were greeted by the camp leaders and were taken on a tour of the camp. I have seen these camps and even visited one last year, but I have never walked through the deep parts and seen the suffering the way I did in Keyo. We came across a very old women, blind from cataracs crawling on all fours in her soiled dress. She had no bed, no running water, no toilet, no chair. Instead, she was alone crawling on the ground. We were so stunned by her suffering and one of the sweet girls in the group immediately lowered herself to the ground and tried to let her know she was there. I also came across as sweet mother whose little baby has a massive growth on his head about the size of a baseball. She was taking to me and mid-sentence the baby picked up her breast and began to nurse. I have never seen so many dried out breasts in my life! Their couldn't have been much milk for any of the children as their mothers were hardly eating themselves. That was heartbreak. After our walk through the camp the whole village gathered together and we made a presentation of the goods. We left everything in a pile on the ground for the elders to sort through. There is a good chance that fights broke out as the air was tense when we left. We quietly left on our bus before anything happened. The people need so much and if you don't have enough for everyone you can actually do more harm then good. I did not see joy in the IDP camp. Everywhere else, amidst the poverty you could still feel the joy, not here. As I am back now, 4 weeks home I am slowly adjusting back to life at home. How do you forget though? At times I feel myself slipping back into my old life. I don't want that life. I can't forget.
Church in Gulu
Gulu has missionaries for the very first time. We had such a great experience visiting the branch. There are only a few members and we had two women in Relief Society besides us. After church, a herd of cattle passed through the area! I was able to deliver 10 dresses good friend of mine made to the missionaries. I left them with them to distribute so we didn't cause problems by not having enough.
Roaches and Stinging Ants
Laroo's toilets were considered to be quite nice. The only problem was, that at night 2-3 inches roaches covered the facility. The night we slept there, Chanel and I went to use the bathroom before bed, but we just couldn't do it. No one was around and it was late, so we decided to squat on the grass. Just then, a lady walks around the corner, "What, what is this"? I reply, (while still peeing)"We could not use the bathroom, there are great stinging ants everywhere!" Shocked she says, "Oh no, I must get the torch!" We follow her, (after we wipe) and she leads us back to the bathroom.........she starts laughing at us! "These are not ants! They are safe". ME "Oh, I am so glad, I thought they would sting us!" HA, HA!
Where did I come up with that? I have no idea, I just felt so stupid because people there don't think roaches are a big deal.
Night Visitor
The first night we stayed at Laroo, the girls from Laroo opened up and told their stories to many of the girls. We had just finished talking about these difficult things with the girls and started out for the long night ahead. We slept with just our group in a dormitory. We failed to notice that the other students kept their windows shut at night, mistake number one. When I'm in a foreign country I always sleep with a mask on my eyes and some heavy duty earplugs. It was also so hot that I was sleeping in my t-shirt and underwear, not expecting anyone to figure that out, so I thought. At about 4:00 in the morning I hear a ruckus going in the dorm. Although I had earplugs, I hadn't slept well as a neighboring village had some kind of major party going on all night. So, I fumble out of my net and emerge in my t-shirt and underwear, mask still on and earplugs still in. SUZY (annoyed voice) "What is going on, it's 4:00 in the morning! People are trying to sleep! Get the lights off"! With that, I reluctantly take the mask off fully and realize that everyone is up. What on earth! Then, one of the girls goes onto explain that in the middle of the night, someone climbed in through the window and tried to climb into bed with two different people. I thought I had heard a scream, but had attributed it to the party outside. In actuality, it was Kendal. The girl fled the scene after Kendal screamed. We don't' know who this person was or why she was in our room. But, after the stories the girls had listened to the night before, many were very scared and didn't want to stay. Unfortunately, early in the morning, someone told a group of Laroo students what had happened and by the time we were up for the day the whole school new. We would have preferred to keep it quiet and just talk to the headmaster because of the storm in created. Everyone in the school was convinced it was a demon and stories were flowing throughout the whole facility of the demon that came into our room. It was an unfortunate event and we decided to make the girls feel safer that we would stay in a hotel for the rest of the time at Laroo.
Forgiveness Restores Peace?
Forgiveness restores peace. At least that is the hope in Northern Uganda. While Joseph Kony still holds children in the DRC, Gulu and all of N. Uganda is trying to move on. All around you, positive signs of change are making themselves known. Could Kony come back? That is what many of the children at Laroo fear. On our first night our girls divided into groups with the Laroo girls. That night, many of the girls opened up in their small groups and shared their stories. In my group I met a sweet sixteen year old named grace. She is 16 years old and was born into the bush to a mother who was a soldier. She stayed there for 12 years so she had only been free for 4 years of her life. As she told her story, she was very quiet, almost a whisper. I have read so much and seen so much in videos, but hearing her speak of her life in the bush, forced to kill was something I wasn't prepared for. I also met a little girl named Cindrela age 7 who the girls told me was also born in the bush. Seven, that is the age of my own child. Now these kids are living in a boarding school, most are orphaned and they are trying to heal after their traumatic starts in life. I have to admit, there were several times that I looked into the eyes of some of these large 20 year old men living in a primary boarding school and wondered what they had done to others as a result of the war. Hearing first hand from Grace how the rebels came in the night, burned her home and killed her parents made me wonder how this could have happened for 21 years and I never heard about it. What kind of world are we living in where this can happen to children yet we go about our daily lives as if this horror isn't taking place. There were visible scars on the children's bodies, but what about their heart, their minds. Will forgiveness restore peace? If the name of Kony is spoken, the children all believe that he can hear them. They have been so brainwashed and traumatised, will they ever be normal. Yet, amidst the sadness, I still saw joy. Although subdued compared to the kids in the south, many still have a positive outlook! What lessons I learned. We stayed at Laroo for several days and slept their for one night. I am changed forever by this experience.
Note: Photos above, Grace is in the yellow shirt, John, the boy I am kissing is missing a leg, boy in white has burns on face, little girl in blue was also burned.
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