Aside from the empowered women I had the honor to travel with, every single day we´d encounter in Haiti a group of women who would just inspire us with their presence. These women have been through or been witness to unimaginable disasters, suffering, chaos and, in many cases, loss. Despite all that, their eyes have a twinkle and their smiles a glow I can honestly say we were not expecting. Not only that, but the words out of their  mouths are not the words of a victim, they are words filled with hope and a yearning to better themselves through education and work, not charity.

These are the women I celebrate today, the women of Haiti.

The future of Haiti is in their eyes. We met these schoolgirls in the coastal and artsy town of Jacmel. Notice their perfectly pressed and cleaned dresses, the hairstyle and perfect bows. Haitians take pride in their cleanliness and appearance, even if they´re living amidst rubble or tent cities.

This woman came up to the beach house in Jacmel where we were being hosted for brunch. She was carrying hand woven bags, baskets and hats for sale that are crafted by local artisans.

We visited a school in Léogane, the town where the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake hit, where Dam Dam, a  women´s cooperative, meet to create paper maiche art pieces to sell to international retailers.

In this picture you see blogger Nadia Jones showing them what the internet looks like. They had never seen it. Now, thanks to a generous donation from fellow blogger Leticia Barr, they have a laptop of their own.

More fabulous ladies from Dam Dam.

From the Dam Dam Facebook page:

“The Dam Dam Craft project is an income-generation project established by Tevel B’Tezedek /IsraAid. The project has been running since September 2010 and targets women living in communities which were affected by the January 12th earthquake.

The primary purpose of the project is to create a sustainable, long-term income generation source for the women and their families. This is in conjunction with the goal of encouraging personal development, group education and a commitment to volunteer within the community.”

The lady to the left became my official photographer while visiting the Dam Dam ladies. I gave her  my camera and taught her how to use it. She was having a blast taking pictures of her friends and making them laugh.

To the left, our relentless leader and the heart of this trip, Willa Shalit. Willa has dedicated her life to celebrate and empower women. First as the producer of the Vagina Monologues and now as the founder of Fairwinds Trading. Thanks to her vision and leadership, thousands of women and families in disaster and poverty-stricken areas now are able to provide for themselves through their art and craft.

We visited a group of women who, two years later, are still living in tent cities with their families. They are determined to make their own income and provide an education to their children. This woman here is one of the many in this tent city who have come together to create OFEDA, an organization of women devoted to taking action. The day we went there was very special because Willa Shalit had visited them months before and had promised to help. She brought with her designs for handmade gift cards and supplies for the ladies to create them. Nathalie Tancrede of the Artisans Business Network and country director would be in charge of making sure their creations were distributed and sold. How surprised were we to find out than only a month after our trip the OFEDA ladies had already created their first set of fabulous gift cards and were already being sold at RubbleArt.com! Now that’s inspiration!

Check out our Haitian Artisans Pinterest board to see more of the amazing products being created by Haitian women and being consciously sold by the likes of Macy’s, Donna Karan, Anthropologie, Rachel Roy  and so many more. Conscious purchasing will aid  these women more than you can imagine.

All photos © SpanglishBaby, Ltd. and may not be used without our prior consent.

Last week I shared with you that I was about to embark in an adventure of a lifetime with a group of bloggers and the women behind the Heart of Haiti and Fair Winds Trading. I am now here, in the heart of the Republic of Haiti, and I can attest that even though the heart is suffering, it is fiercely pulsating.

We’ve now spent two full days here and the best word to describe them is intense. Intensity in the amount of devastation and chaos there is still in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Intensity in the rhythm of life. Intensity in the passion of the people. Intensity in the loss and the dire living conditions of those hundreds of thousands still living in camps and who can’t really foresee a change in their situation happening anytime soon. Intensity in the resilience of spirit that is palpable in every single person I’ve met.

The single most important thing I’ve realized in the two days I’ve been here is that Haiti doesn’t want to be forgotten and they don’t want to be a charity case. Everyone we’ve met – from artisans in their village studios to women washing clothes in buckets next to a tent they now call home – have requested only one thing from us: the chance to work. Not a single person has asked or begged for money, something I had assumed would be happening everywhere since it’s a common scene in Latin American countries.

But Haitians know better. Like one woman told us today at a tent camp we were visiting and taking donations to: “Teach us how to fish so we can fish everyday.”

And that is exactly what the inspiring Willa Shalit, the founder of Fair Winds Trading and the force behind the Heart of Haiti initiative, is doing in Haiti-teaching them how to fish. The fish in this case are beautiful pieces of art which are being created by artisans who already had it in their heritage, but are now learning how to truly make their craft sustainable. With the support of donors and partners such as Macy’s and the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Willa Shalit and her passionate team are giving Haitians the opportunity they are asking for to take care of themselves through skills they already had and/or now have the willingness to learn.

In just two days I  have been given the chance to learn so much about giving and what we call charity. I have seen first hand that real giving comes in the form of sustainable creation. I’ve learned that we all have something to give beyond what is in the back of our closets or in our bank account. Yes, money is always needed, but it’s important to know where that money is going and how it’s being used. I want to place that money where it will directly impact the local economy and not add to the corruption.

I saw today the real power you and I have to give just by the choices we make when we purchase a gift. I saw men sitting outside at noon in the middle of the road  hammering away pieces of art created from oil containers. These hammered pieces were later cut out and polished inside a shack with no flooring or concrete walls to be sent out to be sold in places like Macy’s and Anthropologie. I now know the faces which will be feeding themselves and their families, as well as sending their kids to school, because they have work thanks to us deciding to buy these pieces. I finally truly understand.

I am just so grateful to have this opportunity right now to learn that even through the most severe and dramatic devastations, life goes on and we must join the spirit of Haitian life and continue to help them rebuild because the real work has only begun.

I have so much to share and will in the following weeks bring you all much more information and stories about the places we’ve been to and the people we’ve met and bonded with.

Thank you for allowing me to this share this with you.

Check out the slideshow for some pictures of what we’ve seen.

Two years ago today we stood still as we witnessed from afar the massive devastation which occurred in Haiti after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook its core.

Two years later, the nation is still rebuilding and progress is slow at best.

In less than two weeks I will be heading there with a group of enthusiastic women to witness for ourselves the life being led in Haiti today, as well as to see and document the work of sustainable aid being done through the Heart of Haiti initiative.

Heart of Haiti was born out of a partnership between Fair Winds Trading, Brand Aid & Macy’s, Inc.. Conceived by lifelong artist/activist Willa Shalit (founder of Fair Winds Trading) and based on the principle “Trade not Aid”, ‘Heart of Haiti’ sources artists from all over Haiti to develop and sell their works in over 25 Macy’s storefront locations across the U.S. and on macys.com. The proceeds earned from the sale of their art dramatically improve the lives of these artists and their families giving them the ability to afford better nutrition, education and healthcare. And the craftsmanship and technique behind these works of art, ranging from papier mache vases to hand cut metal frames & wall hangings, is truly remarkable. The collection is made almost entirely from recycled and sustainable items such as old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums & local gommier wood. This is something we witnessed time and time again in Haiti; the practice of taking a pile of nothing and turning it into something beautiful.

I want it to be clear that to be part of this trip we were invited, but we had to fund the costs ourselves, receiving only a small percentage of the total cost as an incentive. I decided to invest in this experience because I´ve been a fan of Heart of Haiti for over a year now and truly believe that allowing people to grow creatively in the midst of pain to help themselves and their communities is where true empowerment lies. I want to be able to meet these artisans face to face, listen to their stories, touch their crafts as they are coming out of their soulful hands and then come back home and tell my family, as well as my SpanglishBaby familia all about it.

After watching this video from the first Heart of Haiti trip, you too will understand why I´m taking this leap…and want to take you virtually with me.

Can´t wait to come back and tell you all about it. Something tells me I won´t be the same after.

To stay up-to-date with news and announcements, follow @HeartofHaiti or like their Facebook page.

Disclosure: I am not being compensated for this post and the trip to Haiti is on my own dime, except for a small percentage given as a scholarship to help fund the trip.