William Smith Student Raising Money For Kenya School

The "One Bead" project began following a trip to Africa, where William Smith College student Sara Wroblewski worked at a glass blowing factory and with children at the Oloosirkon Government Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya.

Wroblewski, who  joined us on the Finger Lakes Morning News to explain her " One Bead"  project, says she come upon her idea during an overseas trip -

They plan is to market the beads to make money for an improvished school in Kenya.

www.onebead.org

Designed to give back to the school children she met there, One Bead markets a bead. One half of the bead is thick and one is thin, which symbolizes having a lot versus having little. In the center of the bead is an “O,” representing the name of the school. The bead is made from recycled windows and bottles and is heated in a furnace that runs on old car fuel. It hangs on a piece of leather.

Purchases of the bead acknowledge the desire to help another individual. All proceeds support the school. The beads cost $12 (roughly the cost of two lunches, a new book, or a trip to the movies).

One Bead looks to establish itself as a sustainable non-profit organization to support education in Africa.

Last March, Wroblewski won a  entrepreneurial competition at Hobart and William Smith Colleges called  "The Pitch."  She was  awarded a $10,000 prize for the " One Bead" project.

She hopes that students at colleges across the country will also sell the beads and help raise money for the kids in Nairobi, Kenya.