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The Pearls for Girls Story

My name is Mary Murphy and I am the creator and founder of “Pearls for Girls” along with a few teenagers from a High School in Ottawa, Canada, who, in November 2006, enthusiastically made the first pearl bracelets and sold them at a craft show to test the idea.  

In Fall 2006 I intentionally set out to do something that would make a difference in the lives of others in the world, especially young women. At a conference that Fall I heard Lynne Twist, the author of “The Soul of Money”, speak about her world work and she inspired me to take my desire to contribute and make it a reality.  At the same conference, a colleague of mine told me about a Canadian organization and international outreach program called “Help Lesotho” which was started by Peg Herbert, a University of Ottawa Professor of Educational Psychology.  Help Lesotho works in the mountainous regions of Lesotho, a very small country of 1.8 million people that is surrounded by South Africa.  Lesotho has the third highest incidence of HIV and AIDS in the world and approximately one third of all children are orphaned or vulnerable.   I had found a partner.

When I returned to Ottawa I spoke with another friend who had just started a pearl business (Pearl Passion) and asked her if she would be interested in donating a portion of her earnings to help the girls of Lesotho.  The name “Pearls for Girls” just happened as the idea began to take form.  Her daughter and friends wanted to make pearl bracelets and sell them at a local Christmas Craft sale to raise money for the girls of Help Lesotho. They couldn’t believe that girls their age lived such difficult lives and yet were so courageous and wanted to make life better for others.  The girls loved the idea of “Pearls for Girls” and they were committed to making a difference! storyimage.jpg

In a short period of time the Canadian teenage girls sold enough bracelets to send 14 of the orphaned girls in Lesotho to the annual “Help Lesotho Leadership Camp”. They were thrilled that they could make a difference in the lives of girls their age.  Now more teenage girls and boys are making “Pearls for Girls” bracelets and selling them to raise money to support leadership development opportunities for the girls with Help Lesotho.  The project has spread to other parts of Canada and the United States.

The long-term goal for “Pearls for Girls” is for teenage girls in developing and developed countries to become leaders and realize that through their creativity and collaboration they can make a significant contribution, no matter how small or large, in lives of others.  

I am passionate about “Pearls for Girls” and the impact it is having not only in Lesotho, but also on all teenage girls and women who have made or received the signature pearl bracelet and other pearl jewelry since we launched the program in Fall 2007.   If you wish to join us and help transform the lives of girls and young women around the world, contact me pearl@pearls4girls.org. 

Thank you,  Mary (also known as Pearl)