Bet Olson is a dreamer and designer living in the Chicago area. She has two young kids and is married to Erik, who serves as the vice president of Dignity Coconuts. Bet is passionate about adoption, foster care, women’s rights, and cold watermelon on a hot day.

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Restoring Dignity in the Midst of Poverty and Human Trafficking

by Bet Olson 05-21-2015

Shirley, an employee at Dignity Coconuts. Photo courtesy of Dignity.

I love the story of Shirley. Her family was struggling to survive in the Philippines—a nation plagued with poverty and modern-day slavery. Her husband Ramir took whatever small jobs he could to help the family, but without land, his only options were to work helping on a rice farm or a fishing boat. The pay was irregular and unsustainable, so he made the tough choice to look for work in a bigger city and send money back to Shirley and their three kids. Shirley applied to work at Dignity. She was skeptical as she had never worked with a team and doubted her abilities. When Dignity hired her, it changed her life and her family. Shirley was able to make a consistent income from Dignity. The cycle of poverty and human trafficking was stopped in its tracks.