Fatima

Fatima is one of the original three Bead Amigas who began in June 2008. A quiet but strong leader, Fatima enjoys visiting Americans in her home. She also has emerged as the mentor for the other beaders. We often hear from the women that they will bring their creations first for Fatima to check before we see them. The 28-year old has a great artisitc eye and is extremely patient and focused.

Although Fatima's husband holds a regular job, the slim wages he earns working in the fields do not go far for a family of six. In addition to their two young sons, Fatima's niece and grandfather also live in the two bedroom home.

Since working with Bead Amigas, she has been able to save enough money to build an addition onto her home, purchase a refrigerator, and start a small store. With the help of business classes, her store is now flourishing as the only place within miles that offers cold beverages and frozen meats. Her biggest dream - and one that is possible now with Bead Amigas - is for her children to be able to continue going to school and be successful.

Darling

Darling is 21 years old and proud to call herself one of the original Bead Amigas. Although she had moved away from Los Rotarios between the first and second training weeks, she sought us out to guarantee a spot in the group. Since then, she has emerged as a leader for the beaders offering advice and extra training to those that may be struggling.

Since Darling no longer lives in Los Rotarios, she and Jessica commute the two kilometers from their home to participate in our weekly meetings, usually on foot since the bus cannot pass through the rocky way to their home. Darling often works as our assistant to help out with explaining methods to the women and assuring that everyone is on track.

Darling lives wth her husband and his family, this includes her sister-in-law Jessica, a fellow Bead Amiga. She works with Jessica and her mother-in-law to keep up the household for the seven people living there. She gave birth to her first baby, Leader, in December of 2009 and hopes that one day she will be able to own her own home with her husband to raise their family in.

Jessica

When we asked the original three beaders to identify one person whom they'd like to join the group, Darling selected her sister-in-law, 23-year old Jessica. Paper bead rolling is an act of precision, so we were surprised to find that Jessica crafted a perfect bead during the first week of training. Because she learned so quickly, she was promoted early and began earning substantial income.

Jessica is a strong, single woman and proud of it! In a culture where many women are married and pregnant at a young age, she has embraced her youth and independence and taken complete ownership of the project. Somthing that is unimaginable to many other women her age, Jessica is financially supporting herself and has taken control of her future.

Jessica is the one in the group that keeps us laughing. Whether it's her sideways glances or her quick-wit, she always creates a fun atmosphere for all of us.

Ana Rosa

When we met 18-year old Ana Rosa, she had almost lost the ability to dream about the future. Life was an unending grind to support herself, her baby, and her elderly mother. Her family had no consistent source of income. Occasionally she and her mother would find work washing clothes or picking peanuts, but it was sporadic at best. With a second-grade education, her prospects were dim.

However, Ana Rosa was still able to recognize and seize opportunity. In June 2008, we offered 15 women in the village the chance to learn paper beading as a craft. At the end of the week, the women had the option to keep their creation or sell them back to us. Ana was one of three entrepreneurs that emerged.

Now, Ana is a prolific beader - and earner! Her future is indeed brighter because of Bead Amigas

Lorena

When Maria introduced us to her neighbor Lorena, she was six months pregnant without a consistent income to provide for her family. Since then, Lorena has grown her own business by purchasing wallpaper, painting and cutting it, and then selling it to the beaders to make their jewelry. Along the way, she has learned about art, design, and color theory, now mixing her own beautiful colors to paint the wallpaper scraps. But Lorena will tell you, developing her own business has not come without struggles. Los Rotarios is a tight knit rural community based on sharing with your neighbors and helping each other out in a tight spot. It has been challenging for Lorena to run an organized business, but she has learned to not give out too much credit, record and collect payments, and hold firm on her prices. The unique position she is in has empowered her to make big decisions and see herself as a strong independent woman. These days, not only does she earn enough to support her family, she is able to give another woman from the community the opportunity to earn and grow.

Maria

Maria is 22-years old and lives with her husband and two small children. She is part of our group of beaders as she joined in 2009 when her friend Transito brought her along to training week.

Although Maria is young, she manages to run her household and care for her family. Oftentimes you can find her cleaning, cooking, washing clothes, or giving little Denis a bath from the barrels of water in the back of the house. Her constant smile shows that she is content with her life, but she has a big dream of attending beauty school one day.

Although Maria has many other responsibilities, she still finds time to volunteer around her community. No matter what the project is, from digging trenches for water to painting the school building, she's out there and ready to work with a smile on her face.

Oneyda

Onyeda Caceres was part of the Bead Amigas project for 2 years, but passed away on April 14th, 2011 after losing her battle with neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection in her brain. She left behind four young children and her loving husband, Javier, who was by her side until the end. Oneyda joined Bead Amigas in March of 2009 after learning how to roll beads from her friends and neighbors in Los Rotarios. For the next two years, she created beautiful jewelry, always loving to experiment with unique color combinations. When Oneyda's health started failing, Bead Amigas helped her connect with doctors and get the tests she needed. Rachel, then our field coordinator in Nicaragua, supported her family with transportation and monthly provisions, as well as spending countless hours with her children. Her funeral would not have been possible without all the support from the Amigos for Christ staff and the love that they shared with this family. Oneyda's husband thanked Bead Amigas when he said that the project "has performed miracles for Oneyda, my children, and me."

Oneyda's life and tragic death should not be forgotten. The disease that claimed her is completely preventable with a timely diagnosis and correct treatment. Unfortunately, in a country like Nicaragua, where Oneyda lived in a very small rural area, she did not have access to the health resources that she so desperately needed. Pleas join us in remembering Oneyda and all of the wonderful contributions she made to this project.

Ana Patricia

We met Ana Patricia durring January of 2009 during training week while she was desperately looking for a way to keep her family afloat. This 30-year old single mother is the sole provider for her four children, younger siblings, and elderly mother.

At the beginning of Bead Amigas, Ana Patricia continued working at her former job in order to make ends meet. In the spring months, she worked sorting peanuts in a factory, making $1.50 per day. In the summer months, she found work in the fields planting for $3.00 per day. After she returned home from a long day out in the sun, she made as much time as she could to practice beading, cutting paper, and making bracelets.

The other beaders have always been a huge support system for Ana, bringing her completed jewelry to meetings, lending her supplies, even helping her finish her beads. If it weren’t for their solidarity as a group, Ana may have never achieved her dream of being a full-time beader. Now she enjoys working from home and spending more time with her family. May she continue to reach her goals and dream even bigger.