When people are given the opportunity to rise they tend to stick their hand out and try to pull up others alongside them. This is success. –Chandler Busby, Co-founder of Haiti Design Co-opBought Beautifully is going to Haiti! This time next week three board members and one of Bought Beautifully’s photographers will be walking Haitian land, meeting vendors and artisans that Bought Beautifully partners with. This trip is a dream come true for the Bought Beautifully crew. We can’t wait to see how God moves in the time we have with four vendors in Haiti!
A mere 10,714 square mile country inhabits over 10 million people making Haiti the second most populous country in the Caribbean. Haiti is located on the island of Hispaniola, occupying the western three-eighths of the island, shared with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is regarded as one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with an estimated 80% of Haitians living in absolute poverty. According to Haitian Artisans for Peace International ( HAPI), empowering women is a proven strategy for lifting communities out of poverty. Organizations in Haiti are working to do just that–break the poverty cycle through training and employment opportunities for Haitian artisans (men and women) to create and sell their work. Bought Beautifully partners with several of these organizations and are thrilled to be visiting the following four while in Haiti:
Haitian Artisans for Peace International (HAPI)
HAPI is committed to transforming Haiti through the empowerment and advocacy of women. It is working to break the cycle of poverty, maternal and infant mortality and broken family systems by changing the trajectory of individuals, families and communities. Focusing on community health, holistic education and economic empowerment, HAPI embodies the love and mission of Jesus Christ.
Haiti’s Jewels
Haiti’s Jewels is committed to partnering with Haitian artisans to create life-changing beauty. Haiti’s Jewels recognizes the beauty of Haiti and maximizes on its beauty by cleaning up the trash found on beaches and work with the recyclable materials to create jewelry.
Haiti Design Co-op
Haiti Design Co-op was founded in 2014 with the goal to bring about sustainable development through design, training, and job creation. Haiti Design Co-op believes the marriage of design and purpose can have a long-lasting ripple effect of development and community building2nd Story Goods
2nd Story Goods is a community of impassioned women and men working to design and produce beautiful pieces that do good, are good and look good. I’ve asked the participants traveling to Haiti a few questions in anticipation of the trip:
Why do you volunteer your time to Bought Beautifully?
I volunteer/work at BB because I feel like this is how God has called me to engage with and support good work that is going on around the globe. (Emily Betzler, Co-Founder and Board member) I volunteer with BB because it is something I can do right where I am to help support others around the globe similarly motivated by God's love and call to love people regardless of their details. (Colin Betzler, Co-Founder and Board member) I volunteer for Bought Beautifully because of a passionate belief in the mission of the organization.I absolutely love living in a small community and wouldn't trade the benefits of being in Sheridan; however, the essence of a remote Wyoming town can often disconnect us from the rest of the world and the devastating circumstances we don't experience first-hand. Bought Beautifully provides a way for people in this community, and anyone with access to internet, to engage in a mission that allows us to reach beyond ourselves and our small world into these organizations which are giving hope to the hurting. It's a treasure that makes Sheridan all the more unique as we touch lives across the world without leaving home. (Alison Wiggelsworth, Board Member)Why did you decide to go to Haiti?
I have been interacting with our Haitian vendors for over two years now, I love them and the work they are doing. The opportunity to go to Haiti, to meet our partners in person, see their realities, and the impacts of the work first hand is a dream come true. (Emily Betzler, Co-Founder and Board member) I'll admit that I was slow to arrive at the decision to visit Haiti because I expect that it will shake up my routine and further challenge our family's outlook on life. Ultimately, the processing that will take place will be rich and good, and I can't wait to meet and begin to know the hearts of so many that we are working with in partnership with BB. (Colin Betzler, Co-Founder and Board member) When the opportunity to go to Haiti with the goal of serving and growing in relationship with Bought Beautifully vendors presented itself, it quickly became a thought at the forefront of my mind. Truly I feel that the decision to go was a somewhat easy one because of how God laid the situation perfectly before me. As the vital pieces fell into place, it became quite clear to me that a "yes" was being put on my heart. Ultimately, despite the many reasons for wanting to go, my decision came about as an obedience to serving God and saying yes to something that will most certainly take me out of my comfort zone into a place where I can rely on only Him alone. And I can't wait! (Alison Wiggelsworth, Board Member)What do you hope to take away from the experience?
I really hope to deepen relationships (just like with any relationship–business or personal–spending time together is a key piece of a genuine relationship), to leave with a better understanding of the body of Christ working in the world today, and the role that we as individuals and BB as an organization can, and do play in that. A renewed sense of vision and purpose! (Emily Betzler, Co-Founder and Board member) I hope to have my perspective shifted and sharpened to see the true blessing in each day wherever it finds us and to be challenged in a good way to dedicate my remaining days to working for those less fortunate but even more deserving. (Colin Betzler, Co-Founder and Board member) There are so many things that I anticipate being able to take away from this experience. What I am most looking forward to though is growing deeper in my love for Jesus and allowing that fullness to be poured out so that I might faithfully and passionately take on the motto to live out love! (Alison Wiggelsworth, Board Member)