Fashioned for Change

Fashioned for Change is a not-profit organization that empowers and supports HIV-positive women in South Africa by selling their hand-beaded jewelry and accessories. Fashioned for Change has sold over 50,000 dolls, raising more than $300,000. All products are lovingly made in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa through the Woza Moya income generation project organized by the HillCrest Aids Centre Trust. http://fashionedforchange.wordpress.com www.facebook.com/fashionedforchange www.pinterest.com/fashionedforchange www.littletravellers.com

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WE HAVE A NEW TUMBLR PAGE

Hey there! Stay connected to us while we go through a massive makeover: http://gofashioningdreams.tumblr.com/

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We’re going to be in the Burnaby Farmers Market from 9 until 2 selling our beautiful products! Burnaby Farmers Market is truly a warm and welcoming environment and we really had such a lovely time last weekend. 

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The Woza Moya beaders in collaboration with South African designer Terrence Bray, hand-beaded all the panels for Princess Charlene of Monaco’s dress showcased in this photo.

Incredible!

It is not the first time HillCrest has partnered with Terrence Bray, who was integral in the infamous Green Suit Project.

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The story below is taken from the website HIV AIDS Positive stories, an online support system and forum for those living with HIV/AIDS and their community. It highlights the necessity of breaking down the stigma against those living with the disease and how invaluable support systems are. At the Hillcrest AIDS Centre, in addition to the income generation project Woza Moya from which our products are made, one of the major projects is training women living with HIV/AIDS to be home based care givers for others living with the disease. This often gives support to individuals who may have been completely ostracized or alone. Moral support and care can make the biggest difference in fostering hope and strength to continue fighting the disease and to build a positive life.

HIV AIDS Positive Stories – Give Support.

“By Sabelo Blessed with the looks of a top model, this stunning young lady attended the memorial service of a person died of AIDS related infections earlier this year, where she spoke strongly to all the mourners, especially community leaders and church elders about HIV/AIDS. But when she declared that she is also HIV-Positive no one could belive what she said, for she had that positive outlook and outgoing personality. I then met the cool as a cucumber Busi from the South African Gauteng based township called Kwa-Thema at the National Association of People living With HIV/AIDS(NAPWA-SA) National Offices in Germiston, Johannesburg following an appointment for an interview. As we drove her back home after her day’s work, she opened up even more. What is most sad and touching is that Busi (21 years old), but could not celebrate her 21st birthday anniversary like most other girls of her age. “I was sexually abused by my uncle from the age of six and he further treatened to kill me if I ever told anyone. This continued until I was nine when my grandmother finally found out. After the ordeal I had gone through, I was taken to a clinic check-up, where the health workers suggested that I should also go for an HIV test. The results later confirmed that I was HIV-positive.” At that time, Busi did not understand what HIV/AIDS was, because she was still young. It is only recently that she fully understands what was happening to her young life. All this because of the uncle she trusted and loved. To rub salt into the wound, when the case was opened at Kwa-Thema Police Station known as Habedi, there had been no follow-up and no one got arrested till today. “I was fourteen years when I began to understand what was happening to me and I used to spend sleepless nights because I knew I was going to die. After joining the National Association of People living With HIV/AIDS(NAPWA) and started disclosing my HIV status last year (2001) I felt better and stronger.” Busi is still a student at Tlakula High School, but already has lost most of her friends, some of whom would not want to share the desk with her. The only true friends she now has are those she met at the NAPWA Support Group at Kwa-Thema and the province of Gauteng, South Africa. “My grandmother has been a pillar of strength that has encouraged me a lot. Also, my boyfriend has played a big role in releaving some of the stress and tension broaght about by the stigma attached to HIV. He is the other important person in my life that has never stopped loving me since we first met. He keeps on encouraging me through thick and thin. My eighbourhood has showed a lot of support as well. I am grateful to all the people that have never discriminated against me as before. “Although I feel healthy, when I do not, as a NAPWA members there is Dr. Clarence M. Mini in Germiston who is running his surgery and a NAPWA clinic that provides medical services to HIV positive people whao are unemployed, after being counselled at NAPWA National Office by the Counselling Coordinator. For next, my wish is to go back to school and register with Tlamoha College so that I can fulfil my dream of becoming an accountant.” Busi would like to appeal to all those who are HIV positive to disclose their status and get in touch with the National Association of People living With HIV/AIDS(NAPWA) to get counselling and coping skills for positive living. “It is foolish to think of spreading the disease as revenge or wanting not to die alone. To those who are still HIV-negative I would like to say: “Do not discriminate against those who are HIV-positive, love them, care for them and give them all the support they need.

To join the nearest NAPWA Support Group you can contact this number 011 872 0975 or visit us at NAPWA HOUSE in the Corner of Knox and Simpson Street in Germiston, South Africa.

Sent via Email, November 9, 2004 from South Africa.” 

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Can Ethical Fashion be just as stunning as the rest of your wardrobe?

Can Ethical Fashion be just as stunning as the rest of your wardrobe? The answer is YES! Not only that ethical fashion is often sourced directly from artisans and crafters and is therefore even more likely to be creative, packed full of personality and of course, good will and karma. Check out for instance, Soko, winner of the 2012 ethical fashion awards for initiatives in Africa. All of Soko’s products are sourced directly from communities and artisans in Kenya.

http://www.flickr.com//photos/55131326@N07/sets/72157625120821137/show/

If you’re interested in finding out more winners, browse through the ethical fashion forum winners here : http://source.ethicalfashionforum.com/article/source-awards-2012-the-finalists

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Looking to purchase more of our products? We will be at the Burnaby Farmers market the next two Saturdays. Come stop by and say Hi! 

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A wise heart felt speech: Interrupted Lives by Amandla Mkhwanazi, victor against HIV/AIDS at HillCrest AIDS Centre:

“Interrupted Lives

There are 3.9 million people living with HIV globally and over 5 million South Africans are HIV positive. Regrettably, only 15,000 of the 5 million are on ARV’s on the government schemes. The average cost of ARVs is R560 per month for the masses that are infected. Many of these faces (who have become names to me) do not have or cannot afford to part with R560. SA is on the death grip of HIV/AIDS and a generation of African children’s lives (especially girls) is on the line.

Over the past 5 years i have had to face the scourge of this disease and I have had to look both the disease and death in the eyes. I have been pushed from my neatly, perfectly comfortable, privileged and perfectly boxed life and have been exposed to the coldness that surrounds this disease and sadly it is a grim reality. Over the past 5 years, a great deal of my fight with HIV/AIDS has been rooted in Chesterville, a community where my heart is at, the birth place of my father. Like many other townships, Chesterville is largely modernized,  with running water, electricity, and every second house has a DSTV subscription! Safe to say, it is not on its knees and yet, statistics released from the Dept. of Health indicate that over half of the population in Chesterville is HIV positive.

Many children lose their parents and become AIDS orphans in this area. What are we doing as society to reintegrate these children back into society?

As I came to realize, society has become cold, distant, afraid, self-serving, self-seeking, selfish and greedy and just in case you were wondering, that is YOU and I. We have failed to look beyond our own needs and our own lives and have allowed inhumaneness and a lack of Ubuntu to cloud our judgments, our reasoning, our feelings. We have allowed apathy to shroud our hearts,  our very selves.

Besides AIDS orphans, every minute a child is infected with HIV and every other minute a child dies from an AIDS-related illness. Not only are these children victims of irresponsible parents, coupled with that, they have become victims of a cold society. I have witnessed and can attest to the coldness of the human spirit especially to those that cannot help or defend themselves.

Has the global response been inadequate regarding children orphaned and living with HIV? ABSOLUTELY. Although the United Nations launched a campaign called “unite for children, unite against AIDS”, can we really expect that to bring about change? on its own, probably not. For the longest time ARVs have been focused on adults and I fervently believe that irrespective of how sick they are, children should be given the opportunity to live, to experience life, to take a shot at it, why? Because it’s their birth right, because they are the potential leaders of tomorrow’s Africa. To ignore this means to perpetuate the vicious cycle of poverty, orphanhood and death.

5 years ago today, a friend of mine passed and left behind 3 children, aged then 8, 5 and 1. I have taken the 1 year old (who is now 6) under my wing as an adoptive daughter and what great joy that has been. It has definitely not served her but served me. It is forever true that as you build the house, the house builds you! She is such a fighter, she has silently taught me about a kind of courage I will not have to know. She literally grabbed life from the jaws of death. It’s been one hell of a journey, drenched in sunlight and sometimes shrouded by fog, but I’m ECSTATIC to say she is as of 3 weeks ago, now TB free and so we’re only just focusing on ARVs now (5 years and still counting). She has responded with great vigour and vitality to them with resounding success. She is for all purposes my little girl. It’s hard to say she is “lucky” but perhaps we can say she is one of the fortunate ones who might just survive this pandemic.

What have I learnt over the past 5 years?

1. We’re definitely NOT getting the message across. Because we’re preaching the wrong message. We have removed ourselves from God’s ways and his will that instead of teaching the youth about sex as a sacred union between man and wife we focus solely on safe sex. Until humanity returns to God’s ways, NOTHING and no effort to solve ANY of the world’s problems will be effective.

2. the highest risk of AIDS in SA is in women and children ( I’ve seen this in Chesterville). Women are not only more biologically prone to it but I have encountered on my trips to Masibambisane ARV clinic, that a great number of the women are married women, who were formally abstinent, currently faithful and presently positive. A condom is all that stands between her, her child and the disease and yet culturally, men think they have the right to cheat, this is pure patriarchy at its best.

3. Women are generally disempowered because of gender inequalities, they don’t have positive alternatives to negotiating safe sex, because at the end of the day, they have to choose between unprotected sex and seeing their children go to bed hungry or unprotected sex and being beaten for raising the issue. How can 2 hyenas and one springbok vote for what is on the dinner menu and still call it equality?

Our society has lost its humanness and has allowed corruption, discord and greed to take root at the Centre of our hearts. Why else do corrupt pharmaceutical companies refuse to allow cheaper generic drugs to be manufactured? Massive pharmaceutical companies have been enriched at the expense of human life. Surely where there’s a choice between enriching a company and saving lives, even if it’s just one life, it’s clear where the priority lies (or is it?). Sadly, our government and big companies are clouded and interested in only the bottom line.

Is this who we are as a people? Maybe what we should be looking for is not a cure for AIDS but a cure against corruption in the fight to find a cure against AIDS. All I am saying is that we all need to do our bit for mortal man instead of doing nothing. Find a way to give back in the fight against AIDS. As a society we must together concentrate our efforts in a new role not only for SA but for Africa as a whole. Although adequate aid has not been handed down in Africa, we must challenge our government to use money obtained from world charities better. We must challenge government to change the trade rules that favour the rich, we must challenge government to give priority to addressing the root causes of AIDS and improve basic conditions of sanitation and better education systems must be put in place as these go a long way to addressing the root causes.

I have learnt that a little bit of love and tenderness goes a mighty long way in this fight. It’s not my fight; it’s not snegugu’s fight, it’s OUR COLLECTIVE fight. I’ve also learnt there’s no end to the amount of pain caused by this disease. I’ve also learnt that HIV/AIDS comes knocking on doors of all of mankind and everybody. It’s not the government that needs to make the changes, it must begin with us.

For the longest time, everyone was just a statistic to me until a little angel came crawling into my heart and showed me she was more than just a statistic. Ask yourself, what you call yourself; what makes you human, what you are doing to contribute. As women, there are generations of generations in our wombs, the decisions you make today, reverberate to all eternity.

Amandla Mkhwanazi

Monday, May 20, 2013″

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Craft Coordinator Paula at the HillCrest AIDS Centre Trust talks about the importance of empowering people living with HIV/AIDS and the power of the Woza Moya craft project to turn “victims into victors”.

Paula highlights the importance of treating not just the body but the spirit, heart and mind. By giving a creative outlet and a route to independence the focus is no longer solely on disease, but hope and life.

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Check out some of our highlights from last seasons jewelry and accessory line! We feel like bragging today about them. All of our products are hand-beaded by women affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa as part of a generation project named Woza Moya at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre. They are incredibly well made using high quality glass beads that will hold their colour.  We send all our profits directly back to the Hillcrest AIDS Centre where the funds are in dire need. For more information, please refer to our quick facts page earlier on our blog

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This video on About.com demonstrates just how complex it is to hand bead an African Net Beaded Necklace. All of our products and accessories are hand beaded in similar techniques depending on the desired end product. We use high quality glass beads imported from the Czech Republic. The dexterity and eye sight required to finish these designs is absolutely remarkable. Some of our necklaces, like our signature Fluffy necklace, can take up to a week and a half to make for a skilled bead worker! 

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Fashioned for Change Artisan Buselaphi Gwala's Story: 

"Buselaphi Gwala is 50 years old, and has been beading since she was 16. She recalls being a girl when she learned how to bead, initially making clothes. She would sell these in the streets.

Buselaphi's family includes her son, who is about 25 years old (Buselaphi only knows that he was born on the 14th day of the month). Also, her brother is 58.

Buselaphi has been making Little Travellers for two years, and she can make four in a day. Hers are very distinct, as they are made in traditional Zulu beading patterns.

According to Buselaphi, Little Travellers mean "empowerment". She has made new designs, and Paula - the coordinator of the craft project at the Hillcrest

AIDS Centre - likes them. Buselaphi says that this has given her confidence and enabled her to expand her creative side with new designs.

Beading has made a positive impact in her life. It has made her the sole breadwinner of her household, and has enabled her to pay for electricity, and to purchase a stove, fridge and television. On average, Buselaphi earns R400 (~$70 Cdn) a week from making Little Travellers.

For fun, Buselaphi likes to stay home, do housework, and once in a while, visit a friend."

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Beaded Weddings: Adding an extra splash of meaningful love to weddings

Beaded wedding accessories and jewelry. Customize your wedding to include an extra meaningful touch by commissioning hand beaded products from the women of Woza Moya at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre in South Africa.

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We have news! 

We have our new logo. Thank you everyone for your kindness in helping us pick a long lasting logo that will grow with us as we move to support more women around the world. 

In other exciting news we raised over 6000.00 for the HillCrest AIDS Centre at our sale last week at the Granville Island Market in Vancouver, Canada. Sending a huge thank you to all the staff at Grandville Island who were incredibly kind to us by giving us a free booth and by lending their support to us during the week. 

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Erin and her adopted Little Traveller!

Do you have an adoptee? Send us your photo! We'd love to share it.

These little dolls are life savers, so far we have raised over 300,000 for the Hillcrest AIDS Centre women just through selling these unique hand beaded dolls. 

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A Hillcrest Miracle: Baby Luyanda

Below is the story of Luyanda, a tiny infant who arrived at Hillcrest on the cusp of death. The story is written from two different vantage points, that of Julie, a worker at Hillcrest and Brenda, Luyanda’s new Mom. Life saving moments like  these are made possible by the generous support of contributors around the world and income generating projects like ours jewelry and accessory sales; which all aide in building a healthy and supporting environment for HillCrest Residents.

Luyanda’s Story

He was admitted to the unit 6 weeks ago. His little body, no more than a wisp, ice cold to the touch and too weak to cry or suck. At age 18 months his weight was 3kg and his skin was peeling off in sheets. I saw him first on a Tuesday.

Mom and Dad have both passed on and his Aunty who has 4 children of her own was caring for Luyanda. Luyanda was admitted to our unit to die with dignity and love.

To be honest, I was afraid to hold him, protecting myself from the imminent pain of loss, there is nothing as touching as a child who is dying…

The caregivers in the unit, in particular Tierney and Zibuyile, however never gave up hope and every time I entered the unit one of them was literally holding him and feeding him with a syringe. On Sunday, as I entered the unit, I was told, that he had sat up and eaten some custard!!!!!

Luyanda has gone from strength to strength and is in the process of being adopted by one of our volunteers. Entering the unit now you are in danger of being knocked off your feet by a little torpedo in a walking ring. His laughter is a joy and gives hope to all the other patients, often you will find him cuddled up in one of the patients beds where he has crashed to charge his batteries.

Miracles do happen and with love and care hopefully many more will also.

A NEW BLOOM – Luyanda Ndimande’s story by Brenda Bailey

I am Luyanda’s mommy and I wish to start his story by saying I feel so privileged to have him in my life. I cannot begin to express the sheer joy I have in being able to share each day with him.

I first met Luyanda at The Hillcrest HIV/AIDS Respite Unit on 22 March 2006, his aunt brought him in, as he was very ill.

Although totally emaciated, he looked beautiful – all I noticed were these huge eyes looking at me. It was as if he was just taking everything in.

On the weekend of the 25 and 26 March, I spent most of my time holding him and walking in the gardens of the Hillcrest Hospital. The medical staff all said he was dying. He was icy cold and his breathing was slowing down. I wanted him to draw strength from me and I just wished I could suffer his pain, as it was heart-breaking to watch this little boy suffer.

I could not bear the thought of him dying alone in the cot, so I held him and sang to him. I felt that if he could hear my heartbeat, he would be soothed and if was going to die, he would not leave this world feeling abandoned. Amy (one of the American volunteers) sat with me as we both cried many tears over this beautiful little boy who was suffering so terribly.

For two weeks Zama and I wanted for him to die, as this was the prognosis of the medical team, then one morning, I walked into the unit and there he was sitting up and eating. I watched him eat a blueberry muffin – it was joyous! Zama and I knew then that he really was our miracle baby. Day by day he improved, and we were all so happy.

Luyanda came home with me for the Easter weekend; it was lovely to have this wonderful little boy in our home and I knew he was going to make it his home. He has been living with us permanently since May. The decision to adopt him happened in an instant.

On that day that he first sat up, as I held him and was patting his back, his little hand gently moved to my shoulder and he patted me (he still does this now, as if he is reassuring me). A bond was created and I made him a promise that I would look after him for the rest of his life.

Luyanda is a happy little boy, who finds pleasure in everything. He has his favourite storybook, which we read everyday, and he loves it when the two of us dance and sing around the house; even though I am not very good at this, he thinks I am great. I look back on the photo’s I took of him over the Easter weekend and I marvel at his recovery.

Neil and I are waiting on the courts as to the outcome of our adoption application. Luyanda’s maternal aunt, Happiness, has given us her blessing with regard to us adopting him as she and her husband have four children of their own and are looking after another six.

Luyanda needs access to good medical care and good nutrition, so with a sad heart, they realized for Luyanda to be able to reach his true potential, Neil and I are better equipped to provide these requirements. We keep in touch and visit each other’s homes, so Luyanda will not lose touch with his other family.

He started to walk in July and is now running and climbing and just enjoying life. The people who had seen him when he first came into the Respite Unit all agree that he is our miracle baby.

What has assisted our miracle baby to make this huge recovery? Well, lots of love, good food and access to medical treatment.

Luyanda will be celebrating his 2nd birthday later this month and I hope that you will all join in to wish him the very best.

I would like to close by saying “Thank you” to everyone at the Respite Unit for all their hard work and dedication – without them, Luyanda would not be here today. The Unit is a happy and a sad place – I say this because there are sad times – people who we lose and are no longer here on earth with us (I think of Mzwakhe a wonderful man who will be missed by many, not only his wife and children). But, there are also happy moments such as Thembalihle, who is now home with her family and going from strength to strength. However, had it not been for all the caregivers at the Unit, this would not be the case.

It is a place where people who are dying can do so with dignity but it also offers hope for those who get stronger and are then able to go on and join an ARV programme.

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Quick Facts about Fashioned for Change!

Fashioned for Change

Fashioned for Change jewelry and accessories are made by women who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa; this is done as part of an income-generation project of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust.

There are more than 200 beaders taking part in the Woza Moyaproject – which means that more than 200  families are being supported just by making these products

Many of the crafters are also volunteer care-givers who receive training and supported from the Hillcrest AIDS Centre to care for men and women in their communities who are very ill because of HIV/AIDS. By making jewelry and accessories they can continue in this courageous work while still being able to earn a living to support their families.

100% of the money raised through the sale is used to support people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa; approximately half goes to providing an income for the crafters, and the rest goes towards the Hillcrest AIDS Centre’s home-based care and respite programs.

All operating costs are generously paid for by special funding from our sponsors, enabling us to send 100% of the money from the sale of Little Travellers to the people who really need it.

Little Travellers, the project Fashioned for Change grew out of, was started by a University of Manitoba medical student, after he returned from a volunteer experience at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre. He had brought a few Little Travellers home with him as souvenirs; instead, those dolls were sold for donations, thus becoming the pioneers of the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative; Little Travellers have since journeyed to campuses and cities across Canada and the world, raising awareness and funds as they go.

So far, over 50,000 Little Travellers have been sold, and the project has raised over $250,000 to support people battling HIV/AIDS in South Africa;

You can help by purchasing some of our products

You can sell around your campus, workplace or to your friends and families. To arrange for larger amounts of Little Travellers to be sold on consignment (meaning you don’t have to pay for them until they are sold), please contact us.

Our accessories make great gifts for loved ones, employees, your children’s teachers, delegates to conferences, and even as gifts to guests of your wedding, anniversary or birthday party!

HIV/AIDS in South Africa

All of Fashioned For Change merchandise are made in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa; this area has one of the highest prevalences of HIV infection in the entire world.

The HIV prevalence for all of South Africa is estimated to be between 15-20%. In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, however, 35-40% of all adults are estimated to be infected with HIV. A recent study has suggested that in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, more than 50% of women are infected with HIV. In contrast, the prevalence of HIV infection in Canada is less than 0.2%.

Every day in South Africa, approximately 800 people die of AIDS-related causes

Every day, another 1500 people are infected with the virus. This means there are 500,000 new infections every year in South Africa alone.

In spite of this, the president of South Africa at the time claimed in 2003 that he didn’t knowanyone who had died of AIDS or even anyone infected with HIV, and has questioned the link between HIV and AIDS.

The South African government has a woeful history in their response to HIV/AIDS. Until recently, the president denied that AIDS was even caused by HIV. Even as recently as August 2006, the Minister of Health promoted that people with HIV/AIDS ingest a concoction of vegetables and herbs over anti-retroviral drugs (which are the only treatment proven to help against HIV/AIDS).

Only 1 out of every 5 South Africans who need anti-retroviral drugs (the often life-saving medical treatment for AIDS) is receiving them.

One contributing factor to the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa is gender inequality. Women who are dependant on their male partners are often not free to make decisions that could protect them from infection (by negotiating safer sex practices, for example). This is one reason why economic empowerment (like that provided by Fashioned for Change) is such an important tool in preventing and fighting HIV/AIDS.

Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust

The mission of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre is to provide “unconditional love to all those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in a practical way”.

The Hillcrest AIDS Centre’s services include nursing and home-based care, a respite unitwhere people can be cared for when their families can no longer do so; HIV testing and counselling services; HIV prevention and treatment education workshops; a feeding scheme to provide food for hungry families; a horticulture program that teaches people to grow vegetables and provides them with materials and seeds to do so; and an income-generation project to enable people to earn a living through making crafts and artwork.

The Hillcrest AIDS Centre is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that relies solely on the generosity of people across the world in order to continue in their work

After paying the crafters, all remaining funds from Fashioned for Change go towards funding the building of a much-needed palliative-care unit at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre

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Saying goodbye to Grandville Island! We had such a great week here, and we are so thankful for those of you who came out to see us. Hopefully we will see you soon at our next event!