In the Northern African country of Burkina Faso artists are making bracelets from old plastic mats that are used for rugs and prayer mats.  The colorful plastic is wrapped around a sustainable local grass so the bracelets are flexible and can be “squished” over one’s hand and onto one’s wrist.  You can buy these at www.oneworldproject.com

In Central East Africa, Uganda women are making amazing paper beads for jewelry. The beads are rolled from recycled paper by members of the Alliance beading group, Lacan Pekun, which translates to “a poor person never gives up in the struggle.”  The beaders use their individual bead monies for buying food and needed medicines, for paying school fees for their children, for saving , and for starting new businesses which will help sustain their families year round.  You can buy these and other styles at www.outreachuganda.com

In Ghana on the West African Coast, old glass bottles are being collected and turned into glass beads.  Traditional glass beads of Ghana are often referred to as Krobo beads, the Krobo mountains being the main area of production. These beads are made from recycled glass. Bottles and other glass items are first washed and sorted by colours. They are then broken into small fragments for making translucent beads, or pounded with a metal mortar and pestle, and sieved to get a very fine powder for making powder glass beads. Glass powder of different colours is obtained using ceramic dyes. About 40 people work at workshop which is located about an hour outside the capital of Accra in a very nice rural setting. The owner and founder of the group is a woman named Florence Asare. Although it is traditional for men to smash, fire, mold and paint the beads, the
women are in charge of creating the designs, producing the product and handle most of the sales and marketing.You can support these artists and buy their jewelry at www.oneworldproject.com or www.Ghanacraft.com