Necklace of Caring
OUT OF STOCK
These cheerful necklaces made of tightly rolled paper beads – from recycled magazines, calendars and scrap paper – are created by Acholi women living in a refugee camp in a remote region of Northern Uganda. Each beaded necklace is lovingly handmade by the grandmothers and caregivers of 163 orphans, many of whom have fled their villages and lost their parents to the brutal activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army or to AIDS. Here at the camp, 30 of these caregivers have been trained to make these beautiful handmade necklaces – as a way to support the children with school fees and uniforms.
We are pleased to partner with the Children of Hope Fund to bring you these very special necklaces – each conveying the spirit of caring and concern for orphaned children in these camps.
Our one strand necklaces are 30” long and can be easily transformed into a 2 or 3 strand choker – each is completely unique. Let us choose for you. A story card is included.
The Story
In December, 2006 the Children of Hope Fund was founded in Northern Uganda to help support orphans victimized by the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army. This conflict has afflicted the Acholi people for over 20 years. Villages were burned and children stolen by the LRA to become child soldiers or “bush wives.” Many children lost their parents who were killed by the LRA and today live in extreme poverty in Internally Displaced Persons camps.
What makes the situation even more challenging is that, in order to send the orphans to school, exorbitant school fees have to be paid – as much as $470 a year for secondary school – and a fee that is well beyond the reach of these impoverished children. It is the urgency of this situation that prompted two Canadian Quakers to start seeking funds to support the education of the orphans. Through their tireless efforts, today 163 orphans are being supported to attend school – but the need is great.
The Necklace of Caring is a simple but powerful way to support the caregivers in the camp to generate needed funds for the orphans.
