The Vi Bella artisans had a production goal to strive for.  There are some Christmas products they had been assigned to make and there was a date set of when we would arrange for a shipment out on MFI (Missionary Flights International).

There was a tremendous effort put forth by the whole team.

Herby has been so successful in keeping everyone on track . 

Their sense of pride in achieving the goal filled the air!

With 6 full-time artisans and 6 part-time artisans, the opportunity was offered to the part-time people if they would come 5 days a week during October. 

So for October, we had all 12 artisans working each day. Even the final days before the shipment went out (Thursday, Oct 24) the team decided they would start their workday an hour early to have the best chance of completing the quantity of items they were looking to ship. 

With production, another challenge can be having enough materials available. 

The artisans worked hard and were able to get a very respectable % of the order completed. 

It was a bit of a farewell party as the boxes were prepared and taken to the Airstrip in Pignon for the 11:00 am flight.

The group is very proud of their accomplishment.  The group PRAYED over the product. For people to love it, buy it, so more for the group to make!  They understand! It will be a good motivator to keep them spurred on to make beautiful products.

The group of artisans praying over the product before it is sent out…that people will see the product, love it, buy it!

All the artisans, and especially Herby as their supervisor, have great reason to be proud. 

Even MFI went above and beyond to help with all the necessary arrangements and paperwork in order to have authorization for the product to ship. 

Here in Haiti, I can say day after day (could go so far as to say year after year) can pass without the opportunity to feel the satisfaction of an accomplishment. Sure, you can have the satisfaction of surviving from today till tomorrow. But somehow 😕 it’s just not the same.

The artisans displayed such a sense of accomplishment Thursday at 10:45 am … as they had all their product taped shut in the last of the 3 boxes to send off to the Pignon airstrip. Which then was strapped to the back of my little red ‘ti moto’ to arrive at the airstrip.

About Many Hands:

Many Hands is an Iowa-based nonprofit creating local and global life-transformation by strengthening families.  Established in 2008, the organization focuses on six key areas for transformation, including education, agronomy, leadership development, safe homes, medical assistance, and economic development. Each year, the organization reaches at least 25,000 people through their Haitian operations, IMPACT trips, and four Many Hands Thrift Markets located in the great Des Moines, IA area. 

Many Hands is called to transform together, to be love in action, in a broken world.