Happy International Women’s Day to each of you! Whether you’re an empowered womxn or your life has been impacted by strong feminine influences, I’m so thankful for you and that you’re here! It’s no secret that I love Vera Bradley – read more about that in my post about being a founding member of the Vera Bradley Ambassador Program – and when I found out about the third collaboration with New Hope Girls, I was beyond excited to get involved!

About New Hope Girls

New Hope Girls is an organization based in the Dominican Republic, which assists women out of the darkest times in their lives and provides safety and valuable education. The mission is simple and full of hope: rescue, refuge and restore.

The on-site workshop allows women and mothers to provide for their families with dignity, providing hope that cycles can be broken. All women are paid a fair wage for the hours they spend hand-crafting the beautiful bags. This financial freedom leads to empowerment and most importantly: hope.

Vera Bradley x New Hope Girls Collaboration

In 2016, Vera Bradley was able to work closely with New Hope Girls and through the generosity of supporters and donations, a workshop was built in the Dominican Republic which now acts as a safe place for women to express themselves through their craft.

What’s amazing about this collaboration is that 75% of the profit of each item in the stunning collection got directly to the work New Hope Girls is working to accomplish. All of the items that are part of this series have been hand-made by one of the women impacted by this program.

The hobo bag is the first bag each woman learns how to make because of the straight stitches and easier template. From there, items like pouches are taught, which include zippers and snaps.

Whether you feel compelled to make a purchase of a bag today, I ask you keep the New Hope Girls foundation in your thoughts for future donations throughout the year. No gift is too small, as you’re positively impacting the lives of so many.