In 1994, the horrific Rwandan Genocide victimized many women in Rwanda. They were casualties of a senseless and abhorrent violence that left nearly 250,000 raped. Nearly 70% of the survivors were infected with HIV/AIDS. Since then, they have been living in poverty -- widowed and orphaned and surviving in the devastated Rwandan countryside.
That is why this International Women's Day, it is one of the bittersweet triumphs of the struggle for women empowerment that Same Sky, a fair-trade company who has made it a mission to empower women worldwide, has trained and employed these very same Rwandan survivors in the art of a unique kind of jewelry making. Same Sky has turned these women into artisans, training them to crochet and make bracelet jewelry using hand-blown glass beads that they themselves created. These skills turned them into employed individuals, able to rebuild their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Amazingly, jet-setting Hollywood fell in love with the unique design of the bracelets. Or perhaps they fell in love with the poignant story that went into the making of each unique piece of jewelry. Hollywood celebrities from Halle Berry, Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, and countless others, began wearing the bracelets in casual or special Hollywood occasions. Soon even the men followed, with Ben Affleck and Akon leading the pack.
The outpouring of support for the handiworks of these Rwandan women is overwhelming, and at the same time it is also very humbling. We are witness to the richest women finding the heart to aid the poorest women in the world, giving truth to the premise of Same Sky -- all women live under the same sky...
To know more about Same Sky click here: Same Sky Website
To purchase the Same Sky bracelets, click here: Same Sky Shop
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