KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Nearly nine percent of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $2.15 a day, according to the United Nations.
That’s about 700 million people around the globe.
One Kansas City-based apparel company is working to change that by creating fair-wage jobs for people in Haiti, the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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GOEX Apparel, a fair-trade clothing brand headquartered in Kansas City, was founded to provide ethical employment opportunities in communities where jobs are scarce and exploitation is common.
Jessica Ray, President of GOEX Apparel, said the company’s mission is rooted in the belief that a steady job can transform lives.
“To have fair-wage jobs in a place that has so much extreme poverty, so many companies leaving because they’re just not willing to deal with it. The power of a job and the ability to care for one’s family through work, instead of trying to be reliant on outside aid, which in a place like Haiti just isn’t coming anymore, is absolutely life changing,” Ray said.
For years, GOEX operated a factory in Haiti that employed highly skilled workers. But the facility was destroyed due to escalating gang violence.
After months of rebuilding and relocating, Ray said the company has officially reopened its new factory, which will employ nearly 100 people at fair wages once it’s fully operational.
“It is light and bright, which is not normal for an apparel factory,” she said. “We have ergonomic chairs for our employees, we buy them lunch every day, which in essence gives them a raise of about $2 a day, and our management there is all female.”
As the busy holiday shopping season approaches, Ray hopes consumers will think about the impact their purchases have on people around the world.
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“If a purchase seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Ray said. “Maybe not for the purchaser, but for somebody up the supply chain. So, before another SHEIN haul, think through what that means for the person at the sewing machine, and make a choice that cares for people instead of trapping them.”
To learn more about GOEX, visit goexapparel.com.
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