The End of an Era with Anne
I remember Anne telling me once, “My only regret is that I didn’t have this job for longer. Imagine how different my life would be if I started working for Deux Mains when I was young.” Work is freedom, and Deux Mains gave Anne freedom in her second chapter, but this pales in comparison to what she has given us. She has been a light in the darkness, and a symbol of hope through some very hopeless times.
Anne Fertile has worked at Deux Mains for over a decade. Affectionately referred to as “Mami Anne,” her soprano laughter has always echoed through the factory walls like a song. Her spirit warms those around her. Not figuratively, but literally. I’ve never met another person who has that same power. In all the time that I have known her, she has never been without her award winning smile.
My business partner and Deux Mains’ Founder, Julie, hired Anne in 2012 as a part of a development project with the United Nations to bring dignified employment to vulnerable women. Anne was 59 years old and knew how to sew on a pedal machine. Deux Mains was just starting out, making sandals from repurposed leather and tires, and Anne mastered the art of stitching footbeds and straps with swift movements of her feet - her work ethic resembling someone half her age. While the contract through the UN was meant to be temporary, she stayed on to work for Deux Mains for 12 years.
As Deux Mains has grown over the years, our production has become more and more technical, and as nature would have it, Anne became more and more mature. To adjust to these changes, she transitioned to the maintenance staff, cleaning the production space and washing tires for sandal soles under the shade of the mango trees in the vast courtyard.
Anne was never married, but over the years, her salary has enabled her to take care of her many nieces, nephews, and neighbors’ children. In the early years of her employment, she also survived cancer, her income covering the cost of her surgery after her diagnosis. She describes her job and journey with Deux Mains as “transformational.”
Anne is now 71 years old. Time may have robbed her of her youth, but it did not steal her spirit. “I would work here until my last day..” she told us, “..but I am growing tired, and I have to respect the wishes of my family. The time has come for me to retire.”
Last week, our team celebrated Anne’s last day as a Deux Mains Employee. In a beautiful burgundy red dress, her hair impeccably styled, she sipped sparkling grape juice from a champagne flute and told her colleagues how much she loved them, and what her job has meant to her. There was not a dry eye in the house.
We are so grateful that Anne has been a part of the Deux Mains team for so many years. She will be deeply missed but always part of the Deux Mains family.
