What I Give to and Why

Caring Hands, Uganda.
http://www.caringhandsuganda.org/
Caring Hands is an organization where women in Kampala, Uganda make beads out of recycled paper (the beads are really cool looking and are coated with some sort of varnish so they look almost like glass). There is a micro-finance component to this organization, so the women who make the jewelry are actually able to make a living for themselves and become the providers for their families. On their website you can read the stories of the women who make the jewelry.

I have designed a special African leaf charm that will be on all the Caring Hands jewelry. I also have designed a few new styles using the Recycled Paper beads, in a way to create an entire jewelry line for Caring Hands that can be carried in retail stores.

I am excited to partner with this group and to work on getting the jewelry into retail stores across the US. As a jewelry designer myself, I like that I am able to help other women designers in Uganda, and promote an Eco-friendly, cool looking product that with each sale can create such a monumental difference in the lives of these women.

A special thanks to Garland Hopkins http://www.garlandcoonline.com/ who designed the new informative tags that go on the jewelry.


Amani ya Juu, Kenya.
http://www.amaniafrica.org/
My friend Hannah works with this organization in Kenya. The women design and sew clothing, handbags, quilts, etc. and are able to provide for their families. A group of women from this organization will be coming to the USA this fall to get some exposure through a series of fashion shows.

As a woman designer, this organization appeals to me because it allows me to help other women designers. I have partnered with this organization, and they make the jewelry bags that all the Caring Hands jewelry comes in.