Turns out 20x someone’s order is a whole lot of jewelry.  That’s what my friend Chum learned after he won our Times x 20 Giveaway!  He got a package in the mail with $800 worth of handmade Acholi Beads jewelry.  What’s he going to do with it?  Follow him at http://twitter.com/chumdinger and ask!

Our Times x 20 promotion was an idea to show the impact of 20x anything, because each time we partner with a new Acholi woman, she improves the lives of 20 people around her.  What does Times x 20 look like in beaded jewelry?  You’ll have to ask Chum.

We’re always thinking of creative ways to bring the story of our Acholi partners home to America.  Do have an idea?  We’re all ears.  Leave a comment or contact us.

[To choose the winner we took all the qualifying orders and numbered them, then chose a number using http://random.org/  Chum's number came up!  Congratulations Chum!]

The “times 20″ rule is transforming the community around our bead-making partners in Uganda.  Sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, parents and grandchildren are all benefiting (check out the post before this one).  So we thought we’d see what “times 20″ can do in America.

On March 3, James’ birthday, we’re going to choose one of our recent orders and multiply it by 20.  So, if it’s a $40 order, some lucky person will get $800 worth of Acholi Beads.  That’s the power of “times 20.”

If you want your order to be elligible for a 20x boost, just enter the coupon code times20 on the shopping cart screen and wait until March 3 for the results!

It was an unexpected statistic in our research.  Twenty sounded high, but the numbers were right there, double-checked.  Each displaced Ugandan we employed spread the benefits of their income to approximately 20 people around them – children, spouses, nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters, parents and grandchildren; all of them benefitted from a single, well-earned income.

I was working with a nonprofit called Invisible Children, running part of their operation in northern Uganda.  We had just finished conducting a round of research among the beneficiaries of my program, trying to plumb the details of how our work was helping, and where it might be falling short.

This was arguably the single most important finding in shaping my work and understanding.  These impoverished, war stricken Acholi people, most of whom had never made a fair day’s wage in their lives, took the money they earned, which was still low by American standards, and essentially gave it away to 20 people around them.  They used it where it was needed most, filling needs that we never would have seen.

Acholi Beads now partners with 16 similarly displaced Acholi women.  It’s safe to assume that these women also spread their earnings to 20 people each – about 320 people total.  That’s an impact.

And we want to do more.  A lot more.

This idea of “Times 20” inspires us.  We know that if we can partner with enough women, a whole community can be changed.  They will use their earnings to make sure their families are cared for, and to raise up a new generation of Acholi leaders.  So we have set a goal.  We want to partner with 100 women by 2010.  Does your mind immediately do the math?  That’s 2,000 people benefiting from the sale of this beautiful jewelry.

How will Acholi Quarters change when this is a reality?  How many more kids will be in school?  How big will the smiles be on the faces of the 100 women?  And their children?

We’re excited to find out.  Help us get there.

Contact us to find out about distributing Acholi Beads in your area.  The more we can work to expand the market, the more women we can partner with, and the more people benefit.