A Year In Review, Reflecting on 2020
Dear Friend of Vi Bella,
First, on behalf of everyone at Vi Bella; our amazing artisans, the management team, non profit board, and the Haitian students our non profit helps send to school, many thanks for your support and prayers over the past year.The stability, of a good job and the opportunity to afford an education for your children is an enormous blessing in Haiti and other developing countries. Thanks to supporters like you, over 60 Vi Bella artisans have full time jobs in Haiti and Mexico, their children are attending school, and families are thriving. Many more people in these countries also receive ongoing support when Vi Bella purchases their hand-crafted wares and raw goods.
Our deep desire is to continue our job creation ministry and school sponsorship as we want to show the artisans we work with that our love and support, like God’s love and support, is constant, even in places and times where nothing seems certain. No matter what, we rejoice that God has blessed us with the Good News of the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas. We know that we always have hope in a perfect future in Christ, regardless of our earthly circumstances.
2020 has been a year of challenges for all of us, and Vi Bella is no exception. The COVID19 pandemic threatened to seriously hamper or even end our efforts to provide life changing jobs and school support to our artisan family in Haiti and Mexico, just when they needed us most. Even though sales declined sharply at the beginning of the pandemic, kind and generous donations from friends to Vi Bella and Vi Bella Serves, our sister non profit, helped us support all our artisans with food, shelter, and school sponsorship through this difficult time. Our dedicated leaders in the US, Haiti, and Mexico worked diligently and sacrificially to find new ways of doing business that allowed us to keep blessing artisans with employment; making difficult, and we pray wise, decisions to do the greatest good possible on a lean budget.
Just when we felt we were getting our footing back, a violent gang of bandits that had been terrorizing the area around one of our Vi Bella centers in Haiti looted and completely burned our beautiful mini campus. All inside was lost, but no one was hurt. There is no insurance for this in Haiti. Once again, many friends of Vi Bella helped us get new tools and supplies so the artisans could continue to work in different spaces. Even though the lovely workspace pictured below no longer exists, artisans are being empowered and employed. But we are not out of the woods yet.
We depend on purchases of Vi Bella artisans’ hand-crafted accessories to keep this important ministry alive. We appreciate every time you choose to support Vi Bella artisans with your purchasing power. You have kept us going throughout this year. Thank you! We hope you will continue to remember Vi Bella whenever you need beautiful accessories.
In addition, during this Christmas season, we humbly request that you consider including Vi
Bella Serves in your year-end giving. Vi Bella Serves, Inc. is a recognized 501(c)(3), so your donation is tax-deductible.
You can donate online and get an immediate receipt at https://www.vibella.com/pages/donate Click the “donate” link at the bottom.
Please contact the VI Bella Serves board president at Amanda.Bahena@WoodsFuller.com or 712-441-0751 with any questions. As always, every dollar is appreciated, and every dollar goes directly to a person in need of education, health care, or housing.
Thank you again, and we wish you a blessed Christmas season.
Sincerely, Julie Hulstein