Introducing myself and my journal: Empowering Ugandan Women through Business

About Me:
Paper to Pearls is a non-profit based in the DC area that runs a micro-enterprise working with women in Ugandan internal refugee camps. The women create beautiful jewelry by hand-rolling beads from recycled paper and stringing them into necklaces, bracelets and more. We sell the jewelry, and over 80% of the proceeds are returned back to the women through income and training, allowing them to buy food, medicines and education for their children.

Our newest focus is child mothers--those girls who were kidnapped by the rebels, and are now returning to the camps with their own children. By giving them skills and income, we're not only providing basic needs, but working towards reintegrating them into the communities that have excluded them because they are considered "dirty".

You can learn more about the project, and buy these incredible pieces of jewelry, at www.papertopearls.org!

My Passions:
Helping women to gain skills, income and respect.

My Challenges:
Running a small non-profit, trying to grow

My Vision for the Future:
A world where women make choices about how they buy clothes and accessories based on not just looks, but how those things can empower other women

My Areas of Expertise:
Start-up micro-enterprises