New artisan training in Pignon, Haiti

Dear Vi Bella Community,

We are excited to share some wonderful news with you. Thanks to your unwavering support, donations, and prayers, we have made significant strides in Haiti. You may remember that because of our Better Together Fundraiser last year, we started a new Vi Bella work center on the Many Hands for Haiti campus. Now, your contributions have enabled us to conduct a second successful training session, resulting in the creation of even more new jobs.

Thanks to the ever-positive and hardworking Christi Gabhart, Many Hands for Haiti's Manager in Haiti, we have this wonderful report of a recent Vi Bella artisan training in Pignon. “We invited 12 people to participate in this training, and 10 of them showed remarkable potential. After careful consideration, we selected 5 individuals to join us as part-time artisans. Our 7 original artisans demonstrated incredible leadership by taking charge of this training session. Herby, our dedicated production manager, has done an outstanding job motivating the artisans, tracking production, and ensuring quality control. We used a variety of criteria to select the final artisans, including their potential as skilled artisans, coachability, and their level of need in daily life. Through prayer and careful evaluation, we are thrilled to see how well the new artisans are fitting in,” Gabhart explains.

The community's response has been overwhelmingly positive. Many individuals have expressed a strong desire to be part of Vi Bella, eagerly awaiting the next training session. Your support has not only provided jobs but has also inspired hope and ambition within the community.

As Jadeyn Schutt, US Production Manager for the Pignon Vi Bella team, beautifully expressed, "The Many Hands/Vi Bella team has been doing great! They are working very hard to make great products and are so joyful as we learn together! The experienced artisans were excellent trainers. They took their job very seriously and were proud to be able to teach others.” 

In the words of Christi Gabhart, the benefits to our artisans extend beyond the economic factor. “Two words that are a huge benefit to artisans: dignity and self-worth." I couldn't agree more. This is something that we see consistently when people in Haiti receive jobs.

Thank you for being a vital part of our journey. We look forward to sharing more updates with you as together we continue to empower and uplift the community in Haiti.

With gratitude,

Julie Hulstein
Founder and President Vi Bella