nousha

I was having dinner with a dear friend of mine Jim Walberg and since I am in the fashion industry I noticed an interesting bracelet which he was wearing. So I asked what it represented because knowing Jim everything he wears resembles something or stand for what he believes in. It was the first time I was introduced to invisible Children, he also gave me a bracelet to wear which is my favorite color after pink and stands for ‘Grace’… Guess which color?!!!
You can find out more about this incredible charity if you visit their web site but I am copying some of it for you:
“THE INVISIBLE CHILDREN BRACELET CAMPAIGN.
After decades of conflict, northern Uganda’s economy has been decimated. Millions who once relied on the land to provide for their families have been relocated to IDP camps where they must depend on insufficient rations from international aid. In 2005 to help provide economic opportunities for these individuals we created the Invisible Children Bracelet Campaign—an initiative that simultaneously provides jobs in the displaced community, while raising awareness around the world.
HOW THE CAMPAIGN WORKS.
Every bracelet is handmade in Uganda from reed and recycled wire. Once made, each bracelet is packaged in the States and sold with a short film that tells the story of a child who has been affected by the war.
In doing this our goal isn’t simply to offer a product, but rather a new perspective, a better understanding of the impact the war has had on the lives of millions. Through including the story and raising awareness across the world, we believe greater aid and more permanent change will be seen in Uganda.
SEE THE RESULTS.
Opio Walter is 27 years old. He makes bracelets in Awer IDP camp in northern Uganda’s Amuru district. Watching him look down at his infant daughter you can see that Walter knows the joy of life, but if you listen to him talk of his past you will understand that he also knows its pain. When he was only 16 he lost his older brother in the violence that surrounded the creation of displacement camps in the North. He has lived in Awer camp ever since, striving to bring his community together.
When the Bracelet Campaign found him (or more accurately, when he found us) he had organized a large group of vulnerable people in his community and was working tirelessly to see that they got the support they needed. Since then Walter has been the chairman of bracelet makers in Awer, organizing them to create an innovative micro-finance program that is spreading the Bracelet Campaign’s benefits to his community. He has also started his own business using the principles from the Bracelet Campaign’s Savings and Investment Training and has saved enough to begin attending university classes in Gulu town. We don’t know exactly what Walter is going to do with his shining future, but we suspect his baby girl will be well cared for.”