Akawelle (also known as love): designs by Lovetta Conto, child survivor of Liberia’s civil war

“My name is Lovetta Conto and I’m sixteen years old. I was born in Liberia, West Africa but fled to Ghana as a refugee with my father when I was just a little girl because of the civil war in our country. Hundreds of thousands of people left the country…

“In the refugee camp we had a school. I wanted to get an education and so I went. My dad taught me education was the way to raise your life up. My dad taught me to believe in my dreams. My dad worked hard to get money to support us and pay for my education because school is not free in most of Africa, not even in the refugee camp…

“When I was twelve years old, I met Cori Stern, the founder of Strongheart Fellowship, in the refugee camp where I lived. I was so nervous talking to her for the first time. I didn’t know who she was but something in me told me she would be someone important to my future.

“I was chosen as the first Strongheart Fellow, which meant my life changed completely. I’ve traveled and studied and grown. I am finally getting the education my father dreamed of for me. Most importantly, I’ve become stronger in my own broken places. That is why I say I am not ashamed of my past. It has made me who I am. It does hurt – sometimes I wonder why I was born into war and strife – but I always hold on to what my father taught me and to the strength I gained through our struggles.”

Lovetta Conto’s jewelry line Akawelle is made from discarded Liberian bullet shells. The proceeds underwrite the development of the Strongheart House in Liberia, a community that offers eco-housing and education to the displaced orphans Conto grew up with in Ghana.