Ten days after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was alone, no safety plan, no contacts and no evacuation plan. Julie Colombino Billingham had quit her job, sold her Florida home and landed in Port-au-Prince with only $7,000 in her pocket. Many days, she only ate an avocado and drank a single coca-cola.

THE PIVOT POINT: It came when a woman grabbed her arm: "I don't want your water, I need a job." As a trained disaster responder, she experienced the brutal truth: handing out free aid destroys local economies by undercutting local businesses and local job.

JOB CREATION: That moment shifted Julie’s focus from temporary aid to job creation and ultimately building an off-grid factory making beautiful handbags and accessories by hand. I’ve already bought one. Loved it so much, another is on its way.

JULIE’S IMPACT: Her stories are a ...