This vibrant, beautiful, multihued adornment is made out of paper. Yes...paper! Each and every bead is created using hand rolled paper. All jewelry at 31 Bits is hand crafted by women artisans living in Uganda.
31 Bits began five years ago, when 5 college friends, Kallie Dovel, Alli Swanson, Anna Toy, Brooke Hodges, and Jessie Simonson, with graduation just a year away, found their lives changing drastically.
Kallie, had just returned from a trip to Uganda where she met and spent time with women that had grown up in war and had nothing. They were single moms with no education and no job prospects. What struck Kallie the most, the women were her age. The contrast of the lives the women were leading was stark.
Kallie witnessed, that though the women had not had the opportunity of an education, they made up for that with amazing artistry and ingenuity - making unique, beauteous jewelry out of old posters.
Miss Dovel brought a box of the jewelry back with her, when the rest of the friends fell in love with it, they all knew a business was emerging.
A few of the girls went back the following summer and spent time with the women making jewelry and sharing life stories. Kallie stayed through the following year, setting up the organization.
Fantastic!
31 Bits has also implemented a five-year holistic development program in Uganda, where each woman receives health education, finance training, counseling, and business training. They currently have 120 women in the program whose lives have been transformed.
100% Smitten.
Through your purchase, you are helping to empower women rise above poverty with dignity and grace.