OUR STORY

AfriBeads was started in 2005 by a local Ugandan woman in Kampala who wanted to help women in her neighborhood struggling in poverty. Some women were single mothers, others married but their husbands had irregular or poorly paid work. She invited the women to form a group where they could meet and support each other, and called the group the Kind Mothers’ Project. Within their group they started making traditional crafts to sell and supplement their income. The women worked at their meetings and at home allowing them to care for their children and to earn a little extra income. However, it was a struggle to sell their products.

A few years later, an Australian woman, Rosemary Frank, was visiting Uganda with a group who were involved in a charity building a house for a school. She was dismayed by the poverty and the daily struggle of most Ugandans and wanted to help. She came up with the idea to try selling the beautiful local hand-made jewelry she so loved buying on her trip. She hoped people in Australia would also love the jewelry and this would create income for some women artisans. Being a teacher, she particularly wanted women to be able to afford to send their children to school. Through her Ugandan travel agent, she was introduced to the Kind Mothers Project, now called the AfriBeads Women’s Association.

Since 2009, Rosemary has partnered with the AfriBeads group making regular orders and visiting them a number of times to work with the women in Uganda. In Australia she started a small business selling the jewelry and baskets into homeware and gift shops that are now enjoyed by customers throughout Australia. Artisan craft remains the second largest employer in developing countries worldwide. It is one of the main sources of income for both men and women who seek a sustainable livelihood. Since 2023, the Australian business has been run by Nimmity Zappert.