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I partner with Trades of Hope to fight sex trafficking. Here is a post from their Kindred Blog.
by Kathy Thomas of Trades of Hope
Make sure you watch the video at the end of the story, showing how the women make the beautiful artisanal jewelry from recycled cereal boxes.
Surrounded by the tropical beauty of Haiti, Makensia is also surrounded by extreme poverty. But neither poverty, nor the death of a child, nor domestic abuse has defined her. She has persevered through many challenging seasons and continues to pursue good things for her family. While many mothers in her village have been forced to make the heartbreaking decision to give up their children to “poverty orphanages” – hoping to save them from starvation – this mother of five has been able to earn enough income to keep her family together by hand-rolling beads and making jewelry from discarded cereal boxes.
Haiti’s Poverty Orphan Crisis
Makensia’s homeland, Haiti, is home to almost 500,000 orphans. The majority of these children have not been orphaned by parental deaths or natural disasters, but by parents who love them, but are unable to feed and care for them. While many poverty orphanages in Haiti are truly safe havens for children whose parents are working toward the hope of returning for their children, other poverty orphanages are big businesses who exploit these children through tourism schemes and exorbitant pleas for donations.
Discovering Hope Through This “Un-Orphanage”
Makensia’s Artisan community is part of an “un-orphanage” program that is on the forefront of offering hope in the midst of Haiti’s orphan crisis by empowering parents to keep and provide for their own children through opportunities to earn a sustainable income, as Artisans. Makensia has experienced real hope through this missional Artisan community. Every cereal box bead design she creates helps her continue to keep her family together.
Every purchase of our Bijou Bracelet helps Artisans in Makensia’s community send their kids to school.
Check out these amazing cereal box bead designs made by Makensia’s Artisan community in Haiti!
Watch this video to discover how Makensia’s Artisan community makes beads from upcycled cereal boxes!
Trades of Hope is partnering in Haiti to Help Mamas Keep Their Babies.
Every purchase of our Bijou Bracelet supports an “un-orphanage” in Haiti that’s helping parents keep their children. Shop to help mamas keep their babies.
I personally purchased the colorful Sanctuary bracelet and the turquoise Faith bracelet. They are gorgeous pieces and carry a beautiful story.
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—”THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
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Shop our “Cultural Threads” online store for products made by survivors of human trafficking around the world.
