Humanity Bracelet
The Women’s Peace Collection is proud to unveil the Humanity Bracelet, specially created for us by Afghan women in Kabul for the Join Me on a Bridge campaign celebrating women’s call to peace around the world. Hand carved entirely from fluorite stones – reputed to transform chaos into order and found in the quarries of Northern Afghanistan – this stunning bracelet comes in a palette of luminous shades of azure, rose, and violet. 35% of your purchase of the Humanity Bracelet will go to support Women for Women International’s programs around the world and impact the lives of women living in the shadows of war, genocide, civil strife and crushing poverty.
The humanity bracelet is a standard 7 ½” length and fits comfortably around your wrist. It comes with intricate silver beads and a flexible clasp. A story card is included with your purchase.
The Story
We are pleased to partner with Women for Women International’s Join Me on a Bridge campaign in bringing you this special bracelet– one that symbolizes our collective dreams for peace and invokes the spirit of our shared humanity. On March 8, 2010 – International Women’s Day – hundreds of women around the world will gather on bridges around the world united in their plea for an end to war. Supporting them in this poignant call for peace will be thousands of women from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Sudan, Nigeria as well as the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Humanity Bracelet is a symbol for the call for peace by women around the world. It is crafted by a small group of Afghan women in Kabul. These young heads of household – many of whom are war widows – learn the craft of jewelry-carving in Women for Women International’s Afghanistan program, a multi-region effort which has worked with 20,000 women since its inception in October 2002.
Although jewelry-making is not a “traditional” craft in the region, the fluorite the women use is mined in the quarries of Northern Afghanistan. The artisan carvers purchase large blocks of fluorite in local markets and use a set of simple machines to shape and polish the mineral into the beautiful luminescent stones that comprise the Humanity Bracelet. Through Women for Women International’s micro-credit lending programs, the women are able to purchase these machines (which total $500) grow their micro-enterprises and earn a dignified livelihood.
Twenty five years of continual warfare have created thousands of Afghan families who are solely headed by war widows left to support their children. In Kabul – considered the city of widows – there are an estimated 50,000 women who are uneducated, illiterate and lack basic job skills to support themselves or their families. Here, especially during the Taliban era, women have experienced severe restrictions in leaving their homes, walking unescorted, or finding meaningful work.
Women for Women International’s programs are an attempt to empower women, give them the opportunity to earn a livelihood and thereby earn the respect of others in their community. The Humanity Bracelet is a testament to this model for women’s economic empowerment and a poignant symbol for our collective dreams for peace.
To learn more about the Join Me On A Bridge campaign, please click here
To learn more about our partner, Women for Women International, please click here
