Impact
Another Update: What's Next For GOEX
Hi GOEX Family – First of all, THANK YOU for showing up for our team in amazing ways! With the match we announced, you all have given more than $27,000 to care for our families in Haiti as they endure unimaginable challenges. 100% of your generous gifts are going directly to our employees and their families. We sent the first allotment of money this week and employees are receiving bank transfers as we speak – truly life-giving funds! If you would like to contribute to this ongoing need, click here! So, an update… As of today, really nothing has changed. There is a council in place that is tasked with appointing an interim Prime Minister who is tasked with getting the country to a free and fair presidential election. But much has to happen between now and then. An international force is still possible but nothing is imminent and the general population in Port au Prince continues to suffer under gang violence and economic disintegration. Right now, in Port au Prince, no ships are coming to port with desperately needed supplies and no planes are flying in or out. Today American Airlines announced another delay to reinstated flights – from 4/17 to 5/5. Time will tell. Because of ongoing uncertainty, we have made the extremely difficult decision to shift production to the Dominican Republic for the summer with the goal of reopening in Haiti this fall. This decision was weighty but in order to remove pressure from the team in Haiti and give our partner in the DR the ability to coordinate production, we had to commit to a plan. The factory we’re using in the DR shares our values of fair wages and employee empowerment. When you look a GOEX garment over the coming months, whether sewn in Haiti, the USA or the Dominican Republic, you can be assured of the same USA fabrics, the same commitment to quality and the same commitment to caring for people through the dignity of work. If you want to learn more, we are excited to announce the first of a series of virtual Q&As with GOEX leadership! Join us Wed, April 30th at 2:30 pm central to ask questions and learn more! Click here to register and receive a link. And save the date for May 29th for our second virtual Q&A as we answer your questions about sustainable fabric sourcing! As always, we can only do this work because of your support. Thank you for caring! Best, Jessica Ray
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Haiti: A Message From the General Manager of Our Factory
It breaks my heart to have to write another devastating update on where we stand today. The recent months have been the most challenging I've ever faced, to say the least. I am somewhat at a loss for words, because the Haiti we call home is suffering more than ever. Our team made every last effort they could to make it to the factory every day under extreme struggles they are all facing. We are so sad to have to temporarily pull the plug until we can safely receive everyone through our doors. The sad part is, they would do anything to work and would come at all costs. Unfortunately, we had to think of their safety and the vulnerability of our facility. This week I had to leave my country and my home behind unwillingly. I feel blessed that I had this opportunity because most do not, but it doesn't change the fact that I am completely devastated. I choose to still be hopeful, because I know we can heal. I refuse to believe we cannot come back from this. In the meantime, my family and I are safe. Our employees are safe. This is all we can ask for for now, and hope for better days. I am confident that my next update to you all we will be in a better place. One day at a time ❤️*********************** If you would like to contribute to our efforts to provide necessities to our team that is still in Haiti while our factory is shut down you can do that through our parent non-profit organization The Global Orphan Project https://goproject.org/goex-donate/
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Haiti Update
Hi GOEX Family – I’ve waited 21 days to post an update on what’s happening in Haiti. Thank you to all of you who have reached out with kind words and prayers for the team. I was hopeful that I could share something different from the following… I know we’ve communicated in the past that gangs control most of Port au Prince. I know we’ve also shared that our team continues to work despite the danger because that work is life-giving for them and their families. However, Monday we made the hard decision to close our factory for the next 30 days and then reevaluate the situation. Why? Why now versus other times over the past two years? As many of you may have seen in the news, on Thursday, February 29th, the gangs that hold control over different parts of Port au Prince united their forces with the stated goal of forcing the resignation of the unelected Prime Minister. They attacked police stations, the airport, the port and many other businesses and institutions. The Prime Minister has agreed to resign as soon as a transitional government is in place but attempts to install that government have stagnated. This leaves the country in an incredibly unstable place as gang members continue to loot businesses and destroy property. The streets are simply not safe. The port and airport remain closed leaving us with no way to get goods in or out of the country. The good news is that we have a lot of stock in Kansas City and our print shop is running at full speed to fulfill your orders. We appreciate your patience as we navigate a few out-of-stock items. We do have fabric in the works in South Carolina and we’re sewing some styles in the United States to cover current programs. (We will be in communication with affected customers regarding those items as we will not be able to offer our standard discounts on items sewn domestically.) So, how can you help? Keep those orders coming! As I said, we have over 200,000 garments in Kansas City ready to print for you. Those sales continue to support Haiti! Give to GOEX via The Global Orphan Project, our non-profit parent organization. 100% of your donations over the next two weeks will go to support our team in Haiti. Primarily, these funds will allow the team to support their families while they cannot work. We need $300 per day to support the cutting team, sewing operators and support staff. And we need to cover four weeks! All donations to this fund are tax deductible. If you’re a praying person, please keep praying for Haiti. The people there need what literally feels like a miracle. They need safety and security and a new government that wants to govern for the good of the people and not for personal gain or power. They need to go to work and school without fear. This quote came from a fellow business in Haiti and we couldn’t agree more: "Now is not the time to give up hope. To the contrary, now is the time to work harder than ever to create change." Thank you again to all of you for your ongoing support of our mission to change lives through the dignity of work. We cannot do any of this without you and we are SO grateful. --Jessica Ray Executive Director, GOEX
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