Dorcus Beads is a micro-enterprise created in 2008 by women living with and affected by HIV/AIDS to support their children and others who are vulnerable. The local leaders of Dorcus Beads, Margaret Musumbi, Serah, and Ruth, were enthused when the introductory leaders meeting regarding the Global Learning Festival was held on the 10th of June 2021. The team will share with the rest of the group and prepare for the first preparatory SALT visits to be held at the end of this month.
This group of over 30 women between 23 – 78 years old is strategically placed at the heart of the community and hosts members who are influential with a wealth of experience and unique contribution to the community. Their narrative includes a richness for ways of working (SALT-CLCP, home visits, and debriefs and planning at the end and beginning of each year). This group does not engage in formality procedures for membership, i.e, there are no requirements for registering nor registration subscriptions as other community groups do. They are inclusive. This is a unique approach for a local community response that is also income related. The local partnerships include the county government, local leaders and a few churches that are linked to the members of the group. The local county government has significant interest in supporting the response of the group in social issues of environment conservation (beads are produced from recycled paper) and advocacy through strength-based techniques. Their products have reached far and wide from Norway, to USA, to Canada through The Salvation Army’s initiative of OTHERS fair Trade.
