Company donates profits to orphanage
It is 5 a.m. in Vizianagaram, India, and the 120 orphans of Mercy Mission Welfare Society are praying together for a woman who lives 8,800 miles away. In Homewood it is 6:30 p.m., and Jennifer Page is selling shoes to help bring those children a new dormitory.
Page and her friend Melody Allred are the founders of Orfana, a shoe and apparel company that is making its mark with a unique promise: 100 percent of its corporate profits are donated to projects supporting orphans around the world.
The idea for Orfana came about four years ago. Allred’s passion for orphans had already led her to adopt four children, but she and Page wanted to expand their reach even further. They were still in the planning stages when one of Allred’s children died from an asthma attack at 11 years old. Orfana was suspended for a while, but eventually the friends decided to try again. After a great deal of persistence and patience, Orfana began selling online in May.
“Both of us are the kind of people that if a door doesn’t open, we kick it down,” Page said.
Sandals made from palms
Orfana’s signature products are its sandals, which are made in Taiwan from natural ingredients. The top of the shoe is made from the leaves of the areca palm, which is also called the betel tree. The soles are made from a mixture of ground-up palm leaves and latex from the balatá tree. The finished sandals mold to the wearer’s feet and have a tendency to crack and peel over time. While this does not affect the shoes structurally, Page said Orfana may use a different product in the future to create a more uniform look.
The areca palm has a mixed reputation in Taiwan because its nuts are commonly chewed as a mildly addictive and unhealthy stimulant. However, Page said the palm leaves can also be used for good, as Orfana’s shoe manufacturers are creating jobs and supporting a local economy. She compared the plant to hemp, which can be used illegally but is also a source of clothing and accessories.
Each pair of sandals comes with a card illustrated by a child from Mercy Mission. Customers can look up the children’s biographies on the Orfana website. Orfana also sells hats, T-shirts and tank tops, and this fall they plan to begin selling headbands made by women in India who have escaped sex slavery. The company will also add a line of jewelry in the future, and Page and Allred are considering expanding into boating shoes and other accessories.
Orfana currently sells online, at Homewood Toy & Hobby, and through campus representatives at local schools and colleges. Orfana’s corporate profits — those made from online and representative sales — are given entirely to the company’s first project at Mercy Mission. Page and Allred do not draw a salary from their company.
“We didn’t want to take anything away from the orphans,” Page said.
Ties to India
Page and Allred found out about Mercy Mission from a friend who had met the director, Charly Tom, and knew he was serious about caring for every orphan he could. They “jumped in with both feet” and made Mercy Mission their first fundraising project. The orphanage needs a new boys’ dormitory, as the current building is operating at double capacity. The project will cost $40,000 and is being supported by Orfana and several other groups around the world. So far, Orfana has raised a few thousand dollars for the dormitory. Page admits she sometimes gets impatient because she wants to provide more funding.
“God’s got the sales. They’re going to happen when they happen,” Page said. “I’ve just got to keep moving, keep talking to people, share our story.”
Page has not visited India yet, but she has talked with many of the orphans through video and letters. She has been moved by their incredible generosity in the midst of poverty, and recalled a friend giving a plastic army man with a parachute to a boy with a broken arm. At the end of her visit, the little boy gave her a thank-you card — and the parachute was tucked inside as a parting gift.
“It was the only toy he had. He has no other toys and he gave the parachute back to her,” Page said. “They’ll give you anything. They just want to be loved, they just want to be known.”
In time, Page and Allred want to see more companies emulating their business model and more customers shopping responsibly. Their goal for Orfana will remain the same: providing for orphans around the globe in every way they can.
“My dream is to be able to meet their needs,” Page said. “To find out what it is they need and have the resources to be able to help them. That’s my dream. Whatever that is for them, that’s what makes me tick.”
To learn more, visit orfana.com.