Yesterday Nick Kristof, visionary journalist with the New York Times, posted a blunt and incisive story about alcoholism in the developing world.  Read it here. The crux of the problem is that globally poor families tend to spend about 2% of their income on education, while spending 4%-8% on alcohol and tabacco.

This is a big problem.  And Uganda is far from immune; in fact it’s up there among the highest alcohol per capita countries in the world.

This challenge affects us personally.  At least one of the Ugandan women we work with has a husband who’s an alcoholic, and drinks through his family’s money even as they’re trying to pay for school and healthcare.

And to be honest, we’re not sure exactly what to do about it.  We pay our women through their individual bank accounts, so they hold the purse strings.  We take every opportunity to train the men along with the women in things like personal financial management, savings, and expense forecasting.  But he still gets his hands on the money, and would rather drink than come to a training.

There are shining examples of success, too.  Another woman we work with sat next to her smiling husband and described how they came together often to plan their finances.  They are thriving.

The truth is: not everyone is going to benefit equally.  Development is not immune to issues of character, shortsightedness, and addiction.  In fact it might be uniquely susceptible, as escaping poverty is a hard business.  Our job is to keep pouring into people and communities, keep believing in the power of hope and empowerment, and keep building opportunities for people to thrive.

And as Kristof rightly points out, keep learning how to mitigate the challenges.

Each transaction with Acholi Beads is part of the greater story of this business.  We just returned from a trip up the coast to meet some of the faces behind those transactions and see the newest stores to carry our jewelry.  Wonderful people, amazing places.  Enjoy the visuals.

Steven Alan, Venice

Nina at Fred Segal, Santa Monica

Slow Clothing, Melrose

Aesthetyx, Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach Surf

Sasha, Laguna Beach

James will be in Huntington Beach this weekend, sharing the Acholi Beads story as part of the inaugural Aesthetyx Story Market, an event designed to share the beautiful stories behind the artisanal and global products carried in the Aesthetyx store.  And if you mention that you’re with Acholi Beads, Aesthetyx has offered $10 off of any purchase of $50 or more during the event (remember that Mother’s Day is only a couple weeks away!)

The event is Saturday, 4pm to 8pm, and Sunday 10am to 2pm.

Aesthetyx located in the lobby of the beautiful Hyatt Regency, Huntington Beach - address and map here.  They are one of our favorite retailers, carrying a curated selection of handmade goods from around the world.  We hope to see you there!

Acholi Beads Glimpse: Spring in Uganda from James Pearson on Vimeo.

This Spring found two new babies born to our Ugandan partners, and a rebirth of their co-operative as they created a five-year vision of success and community impact.

My good friend Karl Drechsler spent the last two months in Uganda with me, sourcing materials, organizing retreats, and becoming great friends with the women of Acholi Beads.  He was so inspired by their work to improve their lives that he made a commitment himself.  Having returned to his native Seattle he is planning 27 events to celebrate the 27 women who make Acholi Beads jewelry.

Each event will feature a different bead maker, and all of them will support the wonderful work of Karl’s new friends in Uganda.  And if all goes according to plan, Karl will be back in Uganda this summer for grad school, and to make some more funny faces.

If you’d like to contact Karl about attending or hosting events, email him at karl.drechsler@gmail.com

This is great article about telling true stories in the ‘helping people’ field.  Read this excerpt, then click through for the rest:

It really is not going to matter whether we preach a sermon on eradicating poverty. It is going to matter that through our work we increased a community’s income by 20%. It is going to matter that we perfected a revenue-generating model that allows for the maintenance of the wells that we fund-raise for.  It is going to matter that through our work, 27 women were rescued and protected from the sex trade in the last month due to the donated amount. The marriage of what we do, how we do it, and why we do it, needs to be our focus and message.

This has already been a very special spring in Acholi Quarters.  In the past few weeks two of the women we partner with gave birth to beautiful new babies!  (One boy, one girl.)  In celebration of this season of birth and rebirth, we’re giving away five $100 Acholi Beads gifts to lucky customers of our online store!  Make any purchase between now and April 12 and you’ll be entered to win.  Click here to shop!

I was talking to one of the mothers yesterday, Aciro Grace, and she said that before she started working with Acholi Beads having a baby was a frightening experience - she couldn’t afford hospital care for her or her baby, and had little hope for a brighter future for her children.

But this time, her fourth delivery, she got medical support and was able to afford everything the new child needed.  Not only that, but she foresees a bright future for her newborn, full of education, good health, and success.  This is why we do what we do.  Thank you for your support.

Acholi Quarters, where our Ugandan partners live, is a hillside slum not far from the heart of Uganda’s capital city.  This is what it looks like.

This is the Acholi Quarters Rock Quarry, where the women who make our jewelry used to spend long hours every day, pounding stones into gravel.  On a good day they could bring home $1.  Walking past it every day is a sobering reminder of how far we’ve come and how much work we have left to do.

There is a new type of business emerging in the modern marketplace - business that cares for people and the planet, business that doesn’t just make a profit, it makes a difference.

This summer a select team of students will be invited to invest in such a business through Acholi Beads Internships.  If you are chosen you will have the opportunity to engage deeply with our company, learning the opportunities, challenges, and rewards of business done right.

Candidates will be chosen based on enthusiasm, mission, talent, and experience, in that order.  We are looking for people to believe in.  Once selected, Acholi Beads Interns will be matched with one of several specialized areas, such as Media/Design, Business Operations, Sales, Special Projects, etc.  And over the course of the summer we will engage them in the bigger topics we wrangle with: global disparity; gender inequality; business and altruism; and effective development.

Details:
Location: San Diego, CA 92104
Duration: June 15 - Aug 31, 2010 (flexible to accommodate academic schedules)
Compensation: Internships are unpaid, but Interns may choose to sell Acholi Beads products to make a supplementary income.

If you wish to apply, please send a letter of interest to info@acholibeads.com at your earliest convenience.  We can’t wait to work with you.