Beads for Beds was created by Agata Ivanna Pogorelsky and Miranda Scotland upon their return from Africa in July 2010. We officially became a non-for-profit organization in September 2011. As team members of Alternative Spring Break Ryerson, we traveled to South Nyanza province in Western Kenya, where we spent a month working hand-in-hand with the D**o community. The time spent in the village was
a time of continuous learning, sharing and experiencing the Luo culture. The gratitude we felt towards the entire community, for welcoming us with enthusiasm and trust, was such that we both felt we wanted to engage even further. Agata returned to Kenya in December 2010 to start a beading group with some of the women in the village. Together, we learned how to make paper beads out of old magazines. Plans for the future? In Toronto:
To establish a beading group for at-risk youth (ages 10 to 15) in which workshops are provided at no cost, working with local artisans. We wish to create a safe-space for kids to explore their creative selves as a way of dealing with difficulties in their particular situation. In Kenya:
To establish a self-sustainable group overseas, of women who want to learn the craft of bead making, which can then be commercialized in Kenya and sold as original crafts in Canada, making the village an active participant of the construction of the orphanage.
