Committed to enhancing the lives of women and children in developing countries, JL Lane allocates 20 percent of its profits to Plan, an international partner organization. Together, JL Lane and Plan are dedicated to finding lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and social injustice in the developing world.

Plan, an International Non-Government Organization, has expanded its reach to 65 countries worldwide. It is working with each of these countries to create a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies which respect people’s rights and dignity. Realizing children are not passive recipients of aid, Plan believes long-term improvement will only be sustainable if children become “development actors,” actively participating, voicing their ideas, and receiving the respect and attention of others.

JL Lane has partnered with Plan Vietnam to provide steady income for women in poor areas of Vietnam through embroidery projects in their home communes. Plan targets the poorest communes around the large city of Hanoi, Vietnam, then, taking the poorest women in each commune, pays for their embroidery training. This training period, which takes place in their community, lasts 2 months, after which the women are able to do their daily embroidering from their homes where they can be with their families. Once these women have acquired the skills, Plan moves on to other villages that require more focused attention. With Plan’s training and JL Lane’s designs, these women, once poor and unsure about their future, are now empowered to create beautiful works of art while raising and supporting a family.

In a region where over 80 percent of the population depends on agriculture, the local population is often subject to unsteady income and huge seasonal and market fluctuations. Ordinarily, women will travel hours into the city, rent a shared, concrete room, and travel back to their families at the end of the week with barely enough to survive on. With this embroidery partnership, women can work from home, raise their families, and earn three times what they were making in the city. The community, confidence, independence and leadership acquired from this program is truly remarkable.

As JL Lane increases its product line and sales with your support, we hope that the embroidery program will reach other nearby villages and Plan-influenced countries so the lives of more women and children will be changed.

If you would like further information on Plan, please visit the link below.

http://www.planusa.org/jllane