All of the Selebi-Phikwe mothers are now earning a regular income from the sale of their exquisite paper bead jewellery.  The beads have become bigger and bolder and the  jewellery pieces more creative. In fact, we cannot keep pace with the local demand, but hope to soon offer the products for sale on the website with the creation of more groups around Botswana and South Africa.

The initial workshops, run in Selebi-Phikwe, Palaype and Serowe, have been so enjoyed by the mothers that they now regularly meet in each others' houses to make their beads together and discuss design and techniques. All the women have benefitted from the social interaction, being able to share their problems and the excitement of turning throwaway items into objects of beauty and widespread admiration.

Below you can see a selection of the Selebi-Phikwe mothers first creations, proudly modelled by one of the mother's orphan granddaughters, Oratile (see Our Projects for more product information).

And while the mothers work on their beads, another of our mother's young charges becomes absorbed in the pile of donated scarp magazines. And the pile of beads, of all shapes sizes and colours, keeps growing.........