For the next 12 days before Christmas we will be featuring the stories of 12 of our friends from Haiti. They are all artisans for The Haitian Bead Project started in 2011. They are learning how to turn trash into treasure by making jewelry from recycled cardboard beads. They each have stories of transformation and God's grace. Our desire is to encourage all of you this season with these gifts from God.
Meet Genise. Genise was one of the first artisans to join the Pignon group of The Haitian Bead Project.
When Genise first started to learn how to make Haitian beads, she sat quietly in the second row. Her belly bulged round and pregnant. Through the weeks she gained the skills to roll recycled cardboard beads and create beautiful jewelry.
Genise explains the dire situation in rural Haiti. Life is about survival. Women struggle to find food for their children. Pregnant mamas must scavenge to find nourishment. She has accepted that her husband must live in Port Au Prince to get a little work and send money to his family in the mountains.
Genise is one of our group leaders for the artisans in Pignon, Haiti.
Genise and Ronel survive by having Genise live with her in-laws. Her husband Ronel is the firstborn son of Dartiquenov and brother to Walquis. The whole family has been instrumental in the Evangelical Church of Pignon and the ministry connected with Christian Friendship Ministries.
Genise fits right in.
She is a leader in her own right. She makes quality beads and serves as a patient teacher to others. She is responsible and consistent in coming to the meetings of The Haitian Bead Project cooperative. In November 2012, she was asked to be a part of the leadership group.
Dorina Gilmore loves on Genise's daughter, Esther in Pignon, Haiti.
Her little Esther was born in January. Like her Biblical namesake, she is a little one defying odds. Her cheeks are round and her eyes so bright - a sign in Haitian culture that she is smart and well-nourished. She is her mother's delight.
When Genise smiles, her whole face lights. She shares her dream of one day earning enough money through The Haitian Bead Project to build a little home for her family.
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