GOEX Apparel was founded in 2012 as one of several global family strengthening initiatives through The Global Orphan Project.  At GOEX, our purpose is to sustain fair wage jobs that empower families.  Our employees are able to care for their children through the dignity of work.  Today we want to share more about the larger family strengthening initiative our work in Haiti is a part of – read on to learn more! 

 At GO Project, we believe that every child belongs in a healthy, loving family. While it’s common for all families to experience both high and low times, environmental and societal factors beyond their control can create overwhelming challenges that threaten to break families apart. When this happens, we believe that the local community, not governments or other systems, should be equipped and empowered to respond with the vital skills, resources, and relationships that families need to stay together.  

 GO Project chooses to partner with and equip local churches, which can be found in every single community and who share a divine mandate to serve the vulnerable. Church leaders possess firsthand knowledge of the needs in their community and have the ability to train and mobilize various members of their congregation to strengthen and empower families in times of crisis or instability. 

 In recent years, we’ve worked with our ministry partners to address the complex issues that can lead to family breakdown by developing a peer-based education and training program called Strong Families. The program, which is owned and implemented by members of the local church and surrounding community, focuses on empowering parents to care for their kids across eight domains of child and family wellbeing. This includes food and nutrition, shelter and care, protection, health, psychosocial, education and skills training, spirituality, and financial literacy.  

 Thousands of families in the rural villages of Africa and Haiti have completed the Strong Families Program and are now sharing what they’ve learned and encouraging others to participate. Soon, the program will be implemented by our partners in India and Lebanon so that the children and families they serve can be equipped to stay together and thrive.  And they, in turn, can invest in other families in their communities when they find themselves in times of crisis. 

 At GOEX, we believe that every community has value can possess the skills and knowledge needed to uplift families and children.  We believe that education, investment and equipping are the solutions needed to break the orphan cycle, not charity. 

 Stay tuned to our blog for more stories about families and communities who have benefited from our Strong Families curriculum!