About Us
Who We Are
3 Cords is a social enterprise founded in September 2010 to train, employ, and empower Haitian men and women. Our mission is to provide opportunities for physically handicapped women and men, and to show them that they are both beautiful and valuable. We do this by training our employees as artisans in a loving, community oriented environment.
3 Cords is a part of Mission of Hope, which was founded in 1998 and located in Titanyen, Haiti. Read more about Mission of Hope here.
Our Vision
Our vision is to change lives by providing jobs for women and men to empower them to provide for themselves and their families. In most cases, the women and men at 3 Cords are caring for multiple adults and children within their families. By working full-time jobs, Haitians are naturally empowered, being viewed as hard workers and breadwinners in their communities. Moreover, our hope is that 3 Cords can disprove the cultural stigma against handicapped people in Haiti, and show Jesus’ model of redemption and hope for the world.
Our Values
- Community – 3 Cords aims to be a safe community where our employees feel welcomed and at home with people who have similar stories and understand them.
- Sustainability – 3 Cords uses business as a sustainable model to create long-term (hopefully forever!) work for the 3 Cords employees.
- Renewal – We believe Jesus came “to make all things new” (Rev. 21:5) and 3 Cords exists to work towards that end.
- Empowerment – We believe in empowering Haitians through providing them with a well paying job and benefits that reinforce their value as individuals. Furthermore, 3 Cords empowers Haitians by promoting certain women and men to leadership roles within the company.
- Development – 3 Cords believes in the development approach to alleviating poverty. As opposed to the relief model (which does the work to or for Haitians) or the rehabilitation model (which is a combination of doing work with and for Haitians), the development model we embrace has a long-term vision for the future of Haiti, which aims for the women of 3 Cords to have a major hand in the development of their own country as we work together to see Haiti advance far beyond pre-earthquake conditions. Read more about this idea in When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett.
Our Name
The name 3 Cords comes from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:
“Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up… Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of 3 strands is not easily broken.”
We chose this verse to represent us because we believe strongly in the power of community. An added bonus is that the name “3 Cords” goes along with our main product line – a braided cord headband!