Music is a powerful component of funerals in Mamelodi. All-consuming harmonies fill the air, and the voices of mourners never waver as they change and morph as one from song to song and language to language. Each funeral has its own unique soundtrack yet the same seamless flow of notes. As the Beaded Hope team listened to the Zulu, Sesotho, and Xhosa words, little doubt remained that the songs were spiritual prayers.

Funeral Service in Mamelodi, South Africa
Photographed by Jennifer Davis; July 2005

I’m distracted. I can’t focus. I can’t sleep. I’m way too excited. I’m headed to South Africa on March 7, and, here’s the best part, five other people are joining me!

Traveling with me is a retired art teacher, an author, a music industry exec, a former South African expat and a teenager. It’s a great mix of people, and I’m excited to see where our journey leads us.

While in South Africa, we will be visiting the Beaded Hope artists in their homes, looking for new beadwork talent, building community with our friends in South Africa, building the business of Beaded Hope and of course, going on safari.

So, things are going to be a little quiet on the Beaded Hope front for the next few weeks, but stay tuned: We will be coming back with lots of stories (and beadwork) to share with you.

Bongani is a former patient at Bophelong, the hospice supported in part by Beaded Hope. Cared for and counseled by hospice staff, Bongani slowly re-invented his perspective on life. On a strict regimen of twice-a-day meds, his health improved. He connected with a former girlfriend and they married. Bongani now shares his positive and uplifting outlook with others in Mamelodi. While not employed by Beaded Hope, Bongani is a good friend of the team and its mission.

Portrait of Bongani
Photographed by Jennifer Davis; August 2005

While in South Africa, team members from Beaded Hope traveled to a Mamelodi man’s house to tend to his garden. After they arrived, they found a backyard full of beautiful green spinach growing quite well on its own. “Maybe you don’t need our help,” they joked. The man shook his head and explained that the spinach wasn’t for him. He grew it and sold it for gas money so he could drive the many orphans in his village to school ‚Äî orphans who lost their parents and families to AIDS. The man could transport only about a dozen children every day; there are over 1.1 million children orphaned in South Africa as a result of AIDS.

Orphaned Child
Photographed by Elizabeth Schlaudecker; July 2005

South Africans bury their dead in a mound of raised red dirt so thick and dense that it clings to shoes and pants for years, even after many hand and machine washings. Because of HIV/AIDS crisis, these red dirt mounds now have very little space between them. Simple headstones mark the deceased’s age. Many were small children; many were just reaching their twenties. Deaths from HIV/AIDS have caused the average lifespan in South Africa to plummet to 47.

Mamelodi, South Africa Cemetery
Photographed by Jennifer Davis; July 2005

Looking for a great Valentine’s Day gift? Here’s what CiN Weekly had to say about Beaded Hope…

Share the Love
Fresh Take on Valentine’s Day Gifts
CiN Weekly
Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Jewelry is a classic Valentine’s Day gift idea. Now it can even be heartwarming and bring hope to its creators.

A Cincinnati-based charity, Beaded Hope (www.beadedhope.com) sells handmade beaded products made by women in Mamelodi, South Africa who are affected by HIV/AIDS. The women use wages from their jobs making crafts to buy medicine and feed their families, while Beaded Hope donates proceeds from the sales of the merchandise to an AIDS program in South Africa.

Among the items, which range from as little as $6 to $75, are Zulu bangle bracelets ($28) and Ndebele (pronounced in-da-bay-lee) and Imbulunga (pronounced imbu-lu-nah) necklaces and earrings ($75 set).

Get it at: 2nd Chance Upscale Resale Shoppe, 11729 Springfield Pike, Springdale, 513-671-7162 or www.shop2ndchance.com; Redtree Art Gallery & Coffee Shop, 4409 Brazee St., Oakley, 513-321-8733 or www.redtreegallery.net; or www.beadedhope.com

Check out the online article here.