THE ORPHAN GOSPELS
What makes a country like Haiti so poor? Why are there so many orphanages? What can those of us from a place a privilege do to help in a country where the poverty seems relentless, systemic, and complicated? Are there better options than building more orphanages to help children in poverty? All of these questions and more are addressed in Shelley’s newest book, “The Orphan Gospels” where she wrestles with the complicated solutions to child abandonment and orphan care in an attempt to bring hope to the plight of the orphan both in Haiti and worldwide.
The Orphan Gospels will ship October 20, 2019!
SHELLEY IN HAITI
Shelley Jean’s debut, Shelley In Haiti – One Woman’s Quest for Orphan Prevention Through Job Creation has been inspiring people around the world since the release. American author and activist, Mary Fisher said, “Shelley could have slid through a life of leisure. A gifted artist, an entrepreneurial problem solver, a walking therapeutic clinic, a spiritual guide – it’s all hers, and more. But what she’s made of herself, as her unflinching story reveals, is a servant. And in becoming the servant she is, she found joy. If this book doesn’t inspire you, nothing will.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shelley Jean is an entrepreneur who works on behalf of the poor in Haiti through sustainable job creation. Her heartbeat is to provide a solution to the orphan crisis and through her fair-trade certified business, Papillon Marketplace, has become a beacon of hope for mothers and fathers who would otherwise have to abandon their children to orphanages or worse because they can’t afford to keep them. Shelley has spent most of the last decade residing in Haiti, speaks Haitian Creole and has become a resource not only for working with the poor but also on current events in Haiti.
Shelley is a mother to her four amazing children, two of them adopted from Haiti, and currently splits her time between Florida and Haiti. She is an author of two books, Shelley in Haiti (2017) as well as The Orphan Gospels (2019), co-founder of the non-profit organizations Apparent Project and Papillon Empowerment and speaks and writes about the topic of sustainability and solutions for poverty whenever she can.
Less Jobs + Less Tourism = More Suffering in Haiti
I just walked across the street from the production house to the cafe. The roads are blocked both ways with a dump truck full of sharp splintered rocks. I can’t get a picture as it is too dangerous. There are about 50 men outside yelling and throwing green glass...
![It Takes a Village [How Wholesale Jewelry Orders Change Lives]](http://shelleyinhaiti.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Papillon-Haiti-Village-400x250.jpg)
It Takes a Village [How Wholesale Jewelry Orders Change Lives]
Our business model might be a little upside down at times, but if you could see what we see when a hundred people or two hundred people get called in to work every day because the orders are flooding in, you might also be scratching your head thinking of how you can maximize your labor costs and build a business that is based on lives being saved and changed instead of solely focusing on profit margins!
A Stumble Is Not A Fall
I first heard this proverb in Haiti and it struck a chord with me. I did some research on it and it has been attributed to several different countries and people, but the wisdom remains. Another similar proverb says, “A stumble is not a fall, but rather to move...
An open letter to my fair-trade partners and friends wanting to do sustainable work in the developing world.
When I first moved to Haiti, I had my heart and my head set on trying to create jobs for parents who were at risk for relinquishing their children. What I didn’t really know when I went down there in 2008, was how exactly I was going to accomplish that. My first year,...
Gucci Bags now made in Haiti
I rode on the back of the motorcycle through the bumpy riverbed and headed north for more than thirty miles. I had been holding on for dear life to Maxime, my driver, as we road up the winding route towards Mirebalais, but at some point, we turned off the main road...
Mother’s Day
I got on the phone with my mother last night from Haiti. She and I have both been a part of working in Haiti with a heart for orphan prevention for the past ten years. Some people may wonder what fuels us. Who knows how much of our own stories and hidden memories...