Onyx Hardware Designs

I was recently browsing a local craft fair here in Boston and I came across a delightful table of brightly colored beaded jewelry.  I soon discovered that the story behind these attractive adornments is even more beautiful.  All the proceeds from these beads go to supporting women and children in the Acholi quarter of Uganda through a microfinance project founded by Boston local Karen Sparacio.

Project Have Hope works with a group of 100 women and helps them transform their lives and the lives of their families. Through the sale of their beautiful, handmade paper bead jewelry, the women can feed their families, send their children to school, and look forward to a richer future.

I strongly encourage you to check out her blog and read her moving accounts of the women and their  community.  Although their hardships are many, the strength of all the women involved is deeply heartening.

In an effort to support this inspiring project, I am featuring their beads in my collections.   In addition to supporting the project through bead purchases, %100 of of the profits from every design using these beads will back to the women of the Acholi quarter.