Starting in 2005, a Maple Valley resident had a realization that changed her life.

Suzy Benson Gillies, the founder and president of the African Promise Foundation, decided to make a difference when she found out there was a situation in Uganda where 40-50 thousand children were kidnapped to become soldiers.

“I was really appalled and disgusted that I have been alive that long and never heard about this situation,” Gillies said.

Once the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group and cult, moved out of Uganda taking about 900 children with them, Gillies felt it was safe enough to travel there in 2008 to see if there was anything she could do to help the people of Uganda.

When she arrived, she was astonished about how malnourished everyone was. She wasn’t sure what she could do to help, but she met a man named “Tiger,” who started yelling at her.

He said, “My people have suffered for so long, and you people have not seen our suffering,” according to the foundation’s website.

After hearing this, Gillies said she could not forget what she had seen and that’s when she started the African Promise Foundation.

She said when she went back to the U.S., she brought back these beads that were made from paper that the women in Uganda made. She realized people really liked the beads and were willing to buy them as jewelry.

“They’re something really special, they tell a story,” Gillies said.

The challenge now was how to get the beads from Africa and into a market.

Gillies said she now travels to and from Uganda at least two-to-three times a year and brings the beads back home with her.

The proceeds from the beads that are made into jewelry go back to the woman who make the beads. It’s like they are making a profit from the beads they make, according to Gilles. That way they don’t get a “hand out” and learn how to make money on their own.

The money also goes toward school fees for young people who are disadvantaged, Gillies said.

It is also possible for people to sponsor at-risk-kids in Uganda, but according to Gillies this does not happen enough.

“Someone can go out to dinner and pay $35-$40, but when you say ‘can you spend $35 a month towards a kid in Africa,’ people are more skeptical,” Gillies said.

She said these kids are kind of forgotten and need to be seen and helped.

To ship the beaded jewelry out to customers who are interested in buying them, Gillies is working with Amazon.

She said this makes it easier because she doesn’t have to make multiple trips to the post office a day.

This is able to happen because all Gillies has to do is ship her products out to Amazon (with a stocking fee) and they are able to send them out to the customers.

The beads mean a lot to Gillies and they mean a lot to those in need in Uganda, which is why it is important to make delivery to those willing to help easy.

“Our beads kind of tell a story and connect you to another human being,” Gillies said.