Vera Bradley, supplier to build orphanage for 2,500 kids

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Fort Wayne-based bagmaker Vera Bradley is teaming up with a supplier in Myanmar to build a new orphanage for 2,500 children in the south Asian nation’s capital of Yangon.

Vera Bradley spokeswoman Holly Ryan tells The Journal Gazette the new building will replace an existing orphanage that’s structurally unsound.

Ryan says Vera Bradley will split costs 50-50 with its Myanmar supplier, where workers assemble and sew Vera Bradley travel bags. The cost of the project isn’t determined yet. Ryan says company officials are interviewing contractors and defining the project’s scope.

She says the orphanage was chosen after Vera Bradley officials toured several facilities to choose the one with the greatest need.

The Fort Wayne area is home to hundreds of refugees who have fled persecution and turmoil in Myanmar.