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Q: Are the beaders paid a fair trade price for their necklaces?
A: Yes. Voices for Global Change has created a trading relationship with the beading cooperatives that emphasizes respect for their work and supports their self-sufficiency. The women themselves set the prices for the jewelry they make and are ensured a living wage for their work.
Q: How do the women use the money?
A: The money the beaders earn first goes toward more nutritious food and to pay for medicine and school fees and supplies for the their children. Once these fundamentals are taken care of, the women have income with which to acquire new bedding for their huts, buy clothing, and in general make purchases that improve the quality of their lives.
Q: How is the Paper to Pearls initiative unique?
A: The benefits from the sale of do not end with their purchase by Paper to Pearls. Through savings and cash management training programs and on-going entrepreneurship development, we also provide the knowledge and skills individuals and families need to improve their lives while they are in the camps and provide stability and security once they are able to return to their homes.
Q: Will the beaders continue to create the necklaces when peace comes and they go back home?
A: We have asked our beaders this question and all respond in the affirmative. As one put it, "Paper to Pearls is part of our lives. We consider it our second garden." Our training programs, which refine beading skills and provide savings and cash management training, help give the beaders a way to make their necklace "businesses" an income generating activity that will be sustainable over time.
Q: What is the finish used on the necklaces?
A: The health and well being of our bead makers and the integrity of our product are of paramount importance to Paper to Pearls. Thus, we have worked hard to identify a finish that is odorless and non-toxic for use by our beaders, while providing the sheen and durability that are part of what makes our jewelry so appealing. The change from a traditional resin varnish to a finish that meets these criteria began with our February 2009 order. The basic acrylic finish is specially produced by a chemist in Kampala based on a formulation first developed by Bead for Life. It contains no harmful solvents. |
