Busoga Beads

Ida Bazonoona lives in the Busoga region of Uganda, East Africa.
She and her friends learned of an organization called “Beads for Life”
that teaches the skill of crafting beads from recycled magazines. Ida’s
four village friends pooled their money and sent her to the capital city
of Kampala to learn the bead craft. Ida returned to her village and
taught the craft to those women. The beads now provide income for two
widows, two single Moms and their children. These women have also
paid it forward and taught the bead craft to women in other villages.
Ida also serves surrounding villages by ministering to women’s needs
through the bead income.

Ida, Irene, Nabu, Kigumba, and Apophia are the artists who created
these beautiful beads from recycled magazines. It was my pleasure to
know and love these women during my time in Uganda as a missionary
school teacher. They work hard making the beads to provide income for
garden seeds, school fees for their children and caring for their families.
For some of these families, the beads are their only source of income.

The BEAD process-
The beads are made from triangle magazine strips rolled up, glued
down and varnished. The vibrant colors in the beads are the result
of the color on the outside of the magazine strips. Once the strips are
rolled up and glued down, they are varnished with three coats, the
last coat drying for 4 weeks. After the final coat, the beads are sorted
into like colors and put on fishing line with a clasp. The entire process
of making one necklace takes around 6 hours and truly is a trash to
treasure jewel.

Your purchase of Busoga Beads will truly make a difference in the lives
of Ida, Irene, Nabu, Kigumba, Apophia and their families!
Thanks for your support!