House of DIAMONDS: Restoring Dignity & Freedom Through Business
This month, we’re excited to have a guest writer on the BAM Canada blog. Larry Sharp is the founder and Director of Training at IBEC Ventures, a company dedicated to supporting business owners as they establish missional businesses. He’s also the author of Missions Disrupted and a dedicated member of the global BAM community. In this blog, Larry shares a story about how God uses business to restore dignity and freedom.
A DIAMOND, FORMED FROM SEEMINGLY NOTHING, EMERGING AS A PRECIOUS JEWEL ... RESILIENT. INDIVIDUAL. VALUABLE. BEAUTIFUL.
So reads the website of a freedom business in Malang, Indonesia, House of Diamonds.
The diamonds are God’s precious women.
With a vision to empower women at risk or those who have been enslaved, the House of Diamonds leadership believes that all women deserve the opportunity to flourish through dignified employment, regardless of their social and economic background.
What makes House of Diamonds different from other textile manufacturers?
Their artisans are paid minimum wage - medication and education fees covered by HoD.
Employees are offered flexible work hours so they can make family a priority.
The workspace is home-based, with a calm, friendly, and relaxed environment.
The team shares breaks and meals, and enjoys spending time together.
House of Diamonds’ founders, Ida & Lila, are creative entrepreneurs passionate about empowering marginalized women in their community. They know first-hand the life of stitching in a sweatshop and understand the abuse workers often experience.
Now, Ida & Lila have a dream to give other women hope by providing dignified jobs that enable them to support themselves and their families.
It all started when Ida wanted to help some of her neighbours learn to sew so they could support their families. She and her sister Lila then met a Canadian couple, Sheldon and Karen Schmidt, who were living in Malang and agreed to mentor them as the business grew.
With the Schmidts’ help and encouragement, House of Diamonds was registered as a legitimate business in 2012, and by 2015 it started to scale significantly.
Ida and Lily’s impact cannot be overstated.
Some of the women they employ are single mothers, others have been rescued from human slavery or abusive situations. In light of this, it often takes a year or more to train them with life skills before they can be a productive worker.
Yet, without safe jobs, many of these women remain economically vulnerable to exploitation.
House of Diamonds addresses this vulnerability in three ways:
Through economic empowerment with a fair wage job
By providing professional development (financial planning, maternal care, etc.)
Offering holistic care (medical benefits, educational scholarships, and days of rest)
When asked about the integration of faith and work, Ida cites this adage often quoted by Patrick Lai (Workship: Recalibrate Work and Worship, 2021, 84).
“When people see the gospel, they will listen to the gospel.”
She uses God’s word to guide her life, decision making, and priorities at work. The employees, most from a Muslim background, notice the difference. God is at work in hearts.
House of Diamonds is a proud member of the Freedom Business Alliance (FBA), a global alliance of businesses creating life-giving employment for survivors of human trafficking and those at risk. BAM Canada is also proud to partner with FBA in amplifying God’s work of redemption and restoration through business.
