The story behind your jewellery matters!
In 2009 founder Stella Airoldi went to Uganda for the first time during her studies. Stella was 23 years old and met women her age, who never went to school because of war.
They were taking care of their families by making jewellery. Once back home, Stella shared their touching stories with her friends, who wanted to help by buying their jewellery.
In 2012 Stella went back, thrilled to find out whether the money she has been sending yearly has helped. And it did!
One of the women, Susan Laker, inspired Stella in particular. She used the money to give her kids an education and she went back to school herself. Knowing in her heart that Stella would come back one day, Susan wanted to be able to talk to her without a translator.
In 2013 22STARS was born to get more activists and sustainable fashion lovers on board to make a difference!
“Our products are hand-made from recycled paper!”
Stella and Susan make the jewellery designs. They buy all materials and look for the right colours, coming from bottle labels, magazines, books and posters.
Then the 22STARS artisans start making the beads. They measure the paper and cut it in triangle shapes. Then they roll the paper up. At the end they varnish the beads with natural products, so they become hard, shiny and waterproof!
Depending on the type of paper, the beads will have their own unique colour, structure and thickness. We use variations in the triangle shapes to create different sizes and shapes of paper beads. All our beads are very light in weight and hence super comfortable to wear.
“We are empowering artisans in Uganda and help children in need!”
Thanks to our fans the 22STARS artisans were able to send their children to school and some of them even went back to school themselves, like Susan Laker. Once Susan got fluent in English she became our project manager in Kampala. Since, we’ve seen first-hand the difference that an education makes, Susan Laker and myself wanted to help even more children through a new educational project and expand our successful social programs. While we still make jewellery with 40 artisans, we additionally launched the FOUNDATION 22STARS, in 2017 to carry out our social programs on a larger scale. We support over 500 children and create long-term sponsorships for children in Uganda, and also run several community development initiatives
“Education is the best way to fight poverty and disease”
When you make a purchase, you thus are not only supporting our artisans, but also children in need. For every product that you purchase we make directly a donation to the FOUNDATION 22STARS, to provide essentials such as a meal, pens, clothes and dental care to children in need.
Thank you for your support!
Stella Romana Airoldi
Mission
Our mission is to fight poverty and diseases with education and entrepreneurship. We do this by designing and selling high quality jewellery made with respect for the environment and the people that make them. We work side-by-side with our two group of artisans who live in the poorest areas of Kampala and Jinja (Uganda). By giving our artisans a plan to market and sell their products internationally they are able to earn money for food, housing, medicine and school fees in addition they participate in our social programs on the ground.
Meaning of 22STARS
Stars mean hope, guidance and protection; our artisans used them during times of war to navigate to a safe place. The number .22 stands for turning dreams into reality to make the world a better place. ♥
About our artisans
Every hand-crafted piece you purchase is made by one of the 22STARS empowered women, and 100% of product sales are reinvested in the social mission to empower them and their families in Uganda and help children in need. The designs are made by Stella Romana Airoldi together with the women in Uganda. Our choice for environmentally friendly products is a very conscious one. By using 100% recycled paper, the jewellery you wear does not only look good, but it also feels good. Our beads are hand made from paper and varnished with natural products. This makes each peace uniquely different, lightweight and waterproof. Our two dedicated teams of artisans are made up by strong women living in the slums of Kampala and Jinja in Uganda. They had to overcome many challenges in their life. Most of them have had no education, are affected by HIV/AIDS and fled from war. Some of the designers are still a bit shy, while others are proud and confident. But they have one thing in common: they all carry a big smile. Their support and help for each other is beautiful. They form an incredible source of creativity, energy and positive power producing these wonderful pieces of jewellery. They are truly inspiring for anyone who wants to reach for the stars.
