Seeds of Hope Bracelet
DETAILS
This beautiful five strand Karakatana bracelet, with seed bead closure in teal, compliments any outfit. The Karakatana beads were originally given to children in South Africa to help with their teething, then the amazing women at Beaded Hope got ahold of them and turned them into the work you see here. This particular design is done by Betty, a beautiful woman with an eye for design. The bracelet measures approximately 7.25" in length, and keep in mind no two bracelets are identical due to the use of natural products.
DESIGNERS
BRINGING YOU TWO STORIES FROM OUR ARTISANS AT BEADED HOPE
Mma Tshabalala, Story Changer
Mma Tshabalala (pronounced Cha ba la la) is a sweet granny who lives in a typical poor neighborhood in Mamelodi, South Africa. She has worked her entire life to provide for herself and her family by making and selling beadwork at an open air market at the Pretoria Zoo. Traveling from her home to her booth, selling her work at her booth and creating new beadwork makes for long, tedious days.
Now that Mma Tshabalala’s children are grown and raising their own children, she could quietly retire from her beadwork. However, instead of focusing on her own struggles, she sees other’s needs. She began to notice young children roaming the streets; children orphaned by HIV and Aids, and she took action. Mma Tshabalala opened her home to children who had nowhere to go. She gave them food, and even began to teach them bead working skills so that one day they might have the ability to care for themselves.
Mma Tshabalala would never tell you that she gives so generously to these orphaned children. Instead she humbly continues doing her beadwork so that she can support the children in her community. Mma Tshabalala has worked with Beaded Hope faithfully since its inception, and generously models sacrificial giving to all those around her. I can think of no other woman that models the heart of the Story Company better than her. Mma Tshabalala, you are a Story Changer.
Betty Modisi, Beaded Hope
When initially hired by Beaded Hope and given her first payment Betty Modisi danced and shouted and sang with excitement. “Now we will have bread on the table,” she said in Zulu.
According to Jennifer Davis, who founded Beaded Hope in 2005, “Betty is hard NOT to love! The picture of her with her hand on her hip is just classic Betty…you just want to be around her because she fills the room with joy.” It is obvious that Betty, (pictured above) is full of spunk and fun! As a single woman in her 40’s with no family, she is sometimes able to find temporary work in highway construction; a dangerous place for a woman. But now with the help of Beaded Hope, Betty can most often be found beading and singing with her best friend, and fellow Beaded Hope artist, Nelly. With an infectious laugh Betty will tell you that she hopes to help others in her community who are less fortunate.
Beaded Hope began with a trip to South Africa. Jennifer, who always had dreamed of going to Africa, was invited to go on a group trip to find ways to develop life-long relationships between the two communities of Cincinnati, Ohio and Mamelodi, South Africa. Mamelodi (Mam-eh-load-e) is where, during the 1960s, black citizens were forcibly placed after being removed from their homes during what was known as apartheid. Today, over 20 years after the end of apartheid, the township of nearly 1.5 million people is ravaged by the impacts of HIV/AIDS. With nearly 35% of the township infected, the community struggles with the triple threat of hunger, poverty and disease that is common in areas suffering under the effects of HIV.
Beaded Hope is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable income from the beautiful hand-crafted beadwork made by women in South Africa who have been impacted by the triple threat of hunger, poverty and disease. In addition, Beaded Hope also works with the women to help them understand how to be good employees and what it takes to run their own business. This prepares them for future opportunities in beginning their own start-up business or modeling their new skills for others in their community.
Betty, during one of Beaded Hope’s annual beading workshops, designed the bracelet that is being brought to you by the Story Company. With your purchase of a Beaded Hope bracelet, you are providing the equivalent of nearly 3 ½ days of food to an artist so that she may care for herself and her family.
That makes YOU a Story Changer!
VIDEO
MAP
The women at Beaded Hope are on a mission! The local women in Mamelodi, South Africa along with a few women from the United States have partnered for an amazing cause. They understand that when people are brought out of extreme poverty, they are able to fight back against some of the leading causes of HIV/AIDS. Many of the women that work for Beaded Hope have been affected by this heart wrenching disease, but today use their designing and handiwork to make a living for their family.
