The Problem:

War. Grinding poverty.  Many children are AIDS and war orphans.   Many single woman, unskilled and uneducated, must care for others' children in addition to their own.

A Success Story:

Transformational Ventures is helping create jobs...

for orphans and their foster families by partnering closely with an independent import/export company called Trading Hope.  Together, we are creating markets for items produced in poor communities around the world.

In Uganda, one venture involves the art of paper bead making. Women make one-of-a kind bead jewelry from recycled paper, such as maps, calendars, and old magazines. The paper is cut by hand into triangular shapes, tightly rolled, glued, polyurethaned, and dried in the sun.

Jennifer has eight children. Before participating in Trading Hope, she worked twelve hours days, six days a week for $40 a month. While she worked in Kampala – 90 minutes away – her 17 year old took care of the other seven children.

Now, Jennifer makes a good income by making and selling jewelry through Trading Hope. She works less hours and can be at home, managing her family. Her kids can afford to attend school and, over time, Jennifer was able to move out of her one-room shack into a two-room home with electricity. Recently, she was even able to buy some furniture. Many economists would consider such a purchase a sign that the family is rising above the poverty line.

If you want to help create stories like this one, search our Opportunities by entering "Trading Hope."