Diana Scimone:
Diana Scimone is an author, journalist, and founder of Born2Fly, our sister organization. She was named one of Twitter’s “Top Ten Women Warriors”.
“Something Beautiful Has Come Out of Disaster”
American Eagle’s magazine, Latitudes:
Official press release in August, 2010:
The Butterfly Project announces launch of new line of jewelry made by women and girls rescued from human trafficking
Each year millions of women and girls are sold into sex slavery around the world including in the US. A small percentage are rescued each year, and many support themselves and the shelters where they live by creating beautiful jewelry and other handmade products.
The Butterfly Project features a line of jewelry and other products made by women and girls rescued from or at risk for human trafficking. “We purchase directly from safe houses all over the world where rescued women and girls live and work,” explains Jané Gautier~Shadoin, who founded The Butterfly Project in 2010.
“That helps them with living expenses as they heal and build new lives,” she adds. “We also donate part of the proceeds from jewelry sales to The Born2Fly Project (www.born2fly.org), which works to stop child trafficking globally and locally.”
Gautier~Shadoin, who is a Katrina survivor, has been involved in fashion her entire adult life as a stylist, in sales as well as entertainment/fashion event planning in the US and France, where she lived for 15 years. In 2001 she returned to the US and lived in Biloxi, Mississippi, where her family is. When Katrina hit, she lost everything—home, work, possessions, and more.
That, and many other life crises, did not stop her but instead fueled her passion to do good. She took what she knew how to do and launched out in an entirely new direction— founding The Butterfly Project.
The line includes jewelry made by women rescued in China, Haiti, Thailand, and elsewhere. The Butterfly Project, which is based in Florida, has been featured in Psychology Today, The Orlando Sentinel, Latitudes in-flight magazine, and other media.
“Purchasing this beautiful jewelry is a powerful way to help these women and girls experience the dignity, hope, and freedom to create something beautiful,” Gautier~Shadoin says. “It’s a small step that makes a big difference. Something beautiful has come out of disaster.”