Through my work as a Compassionate Entrepreneur, I’ve learned of Katie Davis and the non-profit she started in 2008 at age 19. Called Amazima (https://amazima.org), the organization is based out of Brentwood, Tennessee. It seeks to feed, educate and encourage the orphaned, poor and vulnerable in the country of Uganda. Katie Davis is also the author of Kisses from Katie, a moving memoir that tells her story of moving to Uganda and starting Amazima, while also being an adoptive mother to Ugandan children.
At the beginning of 2010, Amazima Ministries started the Masese Women’s Beading Circle to develop a self-sustaining vocational program for mothers in the Masese community. The Beading Circle empowers these women and provides hope for their families. Every week, women spend hours sitting on their banana fiber mats or old wooden stools, surrounded by their children and community members, making paper beads. These beads are made from recycled magazine paper, sealed with a shiny finish and threaded along with tiny glass beads to create handmade, unique, Ugandan necklaces and bracelets.
Because of the Beading Circle these ladies are now able to rely on a steady income, which has allowed them to be able to turn away from work that was harmful and dangerous, such as prostitution, alcohol brewing and trash picking. Through their work in the Beading Circle, they are able to feed their families, send their children to school, purchase plots of land and even build their own homes. Now they are even able to care for others in their communities.
Trades of Hope has a partnership with Amazima and we are honored to carry two necklaces that were made special for Trades of Hope Compassionate Entrepreneurs to sell. A special video made by Katie is below that shows the difference we are making in Uganda.
I also wanted to share the video below, which shows artisans in the Beading Circle making Trades of Hope necklaces!
I love sharing their beautiful creations, like the Rivers Necklace below, with others as it’s a way to honor them and their communities, while creating an empowering ripple effect here in the US and throughout the world.
The Rivers Necklace, made by Empowered Artisans in Uganda
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