As is our tradition every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day with stories and interviews featuring women in the fair trade world. This series is in its fifth year! We recognize women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and share interviews with women in the fair trade world. Their impact is felt everyday. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity, and the role that the digital age has played a role in making equal opportunities fair, inclusive, and valued.
Our first interview is with Jessica Ray, the Executive Director of GOEX, an apparel and printing company based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Kansas City. T-shirts are made from eco-friendly fabrics, or remnant fabric diverted from landfills, cut and sewn in Haiti and designed and printed in Kansas City.
What inspired the start of GOEX?
The beginnings of GOEX go back to a woman named Lucy in Gulu, Uganda. Team members from our parent company, The Global Orphan Project, sought to help her provide for her family by hiring her and other ladies in her village to sew school uniforms for kids in the community. This work gave Lucy and her neighbors dignity, a sustainable means to provide for their families and changed their stories from charity to empowerment.
80% of the world’s orphans are economic orphans, they have loving family members who would care for them if they could afford to do so. The best way to reverse the orphan crisis around the globe is to provide fair wage employment that empowers families to care for their own children.
GO Project continues to operate family strengthening and empowerment programs around the world, primarily focused on local economies. GOEX Apparel is one of those programs but unique because we export product from Haiti to the United States. This is because the Haitian economy is too weak to sustain jobs so we have to sell product into other countries.
How is GOEX organized and how many artisan groups do you currently partner with?
Our primary focus is the apparel factory we own and sustain in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We purchase items such as hats and garment labels from other fair trade or sustainable companies when it’s something we cannot make ourselves. We have an art department, screen print operation and warehouse in Kansas City, MO.
We know that every business had to pivot during the pandemic. How has COVID impacted the way the artisans work and/or how you work with them?
Supply chain issues and inflation have been our biggest challenges. Supply chain has largely corrected itself but everything remains more expensive. We’re grateful for all of our customers who accepted the price increases and continue to support us so we can support our artisans!
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Innovation and technology for gender equality.” How has GOEX used technology to benefit the business, the artisans’ lives and/or the way they work?
Without technology we wouldn’t be able to operate! We use digital pattern and marker making programs and are able to move files back and forth between KC and Haiti. We have not been able to visit Haiti in 3+ years due to civil unrest so we’re constantly using technology to plan production and talk about the business and logistics. If we were in the old days of faxing or even just email, it would be next to impossible to manage the way we do. We are grateful that our internet has worked through everything in Haiti and that we can be in contact with and therefore, support our team there!
What is your personal favorite product and why?
The ladies drop hem v-neck tee – it’s super comfy and looks great by itself or layered! It’s a little dressier than just a tee and even more comfortable to wear and it looks great on every body type!
When women work, the impact of the investment is greatly multiplied. What benefits or positive changes have you seen in the communities where the artisans work and live?
It’s hard to answer this in a place like Haiti where the political and economic instability have eroded so much progress in the country. The impact is really personal for each of our employees. I think the spirit of care for one another that we try to build by how we treat our employees is one of the biggest things that we’ve seen reflected in them. When conditions were really bad last fall and most of the team had to walk to work, they had meeting places and always traveled together. They know the power that exists in community and they value a job that cares for them above profits.
We love your commitment to empowering others. What advice would you give to women and girls who are interested in getting involved in causes they are passionate about?
Take some time to figure out what you’re super passionate about and also how you can contribute. What are your unique skill sets? Get involved in some volunteer roles or just become a champion for the cause and then start networking for opportunities for employment that build on those strengths. I’ve hired several people because of the energy I’ve seen them put personally into championing fair trade fashion and care for people with the power of their purchases. I can teach you a computer system but I can’t teach you passion for our cause!
What woman in your life has had the biggest impact on you?
Definitely my mom! She sacrificed a lot of her personal preferences to care for our family. She taught us how to work hard but also how to have fun, care for one another, be hospitable, live generously and how to bake! 😊
