Seeing the World and Saving it Too

Students aren’t just traveling around the world this summer—they’re also helping it. Through a project spearheaded by professors Andrea Parrot and Rocky Rohwedder, Semester at Sea students, faculty and staff have contributed more than $5,000 to go towards BeadforLife, a nonprofit program that helps women in Uganda, Africa.

Parrot, who teaches international women’s health and a course on human sexuality on the summer voyage, learned about the bead program through Dining for Women, a dinner-giving circle that exposes women to international nonprofits working on women’s issues. At a function, Parrot, a professor at Cornell University, learned of BeadforLife and was struck by the program’s mission and work.

In the program, Ugandan women twist small strips of recycled paper into beads that are shellacked and strung into necklaces, bracelets or earrings. Volunteers and supporters sell the jewelry and the money collected goes directly back to community development projects in the Ugandan women’s community.

“I was so inspired by the story of this project and these women,” Parrot said. “And I thought the mission of our voyage this summer [“Human Rights and Social Justice”] fit nicely with the organization’s work.”

The bead project also fits with Rohwedder’s interests and his course on sustainable communities. Craig Butler, a student in Rohwedder’s class, was intrigued by the program’s connection to sustainable living and development and bought two bead necklaces. “I’m really interested in things that provide sustainability to others,” said Butler, a business major who is interested in social entrepreneurship. “It’s a new way of looking at how to improve communities.”