Week 4. Stories of hope.

You’ve all seen the commercials; Sarah McLachlan pulling on your heart strings while showing pictures of tortured, sick, and abused animals, or many different celebrities convincing you that by sending money, you will directly save this malnourished child’s life. This type of media works for some. You feel sad or guilty and so you give a few dollars to make yourself feel better. This type of media is described as poverty porn – “any type of media, be it written, photographed or filmed, which exploits the poor’s condition in order to generate the necessary sympathy for selling newspapers or increasing charitable donations or support for a given cause.” This is one way of raising awareness and generating funds, and this way will not create sustainable change in the future.

Not For Sale focuses their communication in a way that will never exploit the individual. People will support Not For Sale, not because we used a victim’s story to make them feel bad for not helping, but because we used a survivor’s story to show how we are moving upstream to fight the battle at the origin, to create change so people don’t get trafficked in the first place, not just ‘save’ them after the fact.

This is one of my favorite things about Not For Sale, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to start writing some of our international stories of hope.

A few weeks ago, we announced that thanks to funding from Passion 2012 we have secured a victim service center in South Africa. By itself, it is an amazing story. The team in South Africa has been looking for housing for a while now in order to provide immediate shelter and support to survivors, and I am amazed at the generosity of the Passion 2012 students who have helped this dream come to fruition. But when you have the opportunity to hear first-hand how this will change individual lives, it restores hope that we are making a real difference.

Our most recent article remembers Elizabeth, a trafficking survivor who was stuck waiting for hours for a place to go after being rescued, unable to shower or even change her clothes after a traumatic experience. I was fortunate enough to learn about this story from a colleague who was there the day Elizabeth was rescued. I could hear her pain of not having a place to bring Elizabeth, desperate for the resources to have a safe haven for Elizabeth to go to before being interrogating by the police.

Luckily, Elizabeth is recovering well. But even more luckily, we have now secured a crisis center to help lessen the pain of scared individuals who will benefit greatly by having a safe place to go to. Not For Sale will now be able to provide immediate assistance to survivors where there before was none. These survivors are deemed more likely to report their stories to law enforcement, and thus could directly increase the number of convictions.

No one should have to go through what Elizabeth went through. But now, with the help of our Crisis Center, Not For Sale South Africa will have a direct hand in the immediate rehabilitation of survivors, lessoning the inevitable pain of processing what they’ve been through. For me, it is the stories like this that leave me with hope – just one more step towards creating a better future.

Week 6: Why I’m Fasting for Freedom

“A church that’s lost its voice for justice is a church that’s lost its relevance in the world.”   (Richard Stearns, author of The Hole in Our Gospel)

 As a young girl, I remember listening to missionaries speak to our church about their profound experiences while serving in developing countries around the world.  Their riveting presentations helped instill an irrepressible passion for justice in me, which I desired to turn into a vocation as I grew up.  Along the way, however, I began receiving the impression that people who gave up their income, sold their possessions, and left their countries to serve others were anomalies—they had some sort of special calling, while the rest of us were to be content with remaining in the pew.

Today, I consider this a fallacy.  It’s erroneous to believe that the extent of a Christian’s calling is to merely avoid the most serious of sins and to show up to church on Sunday morning.  Faith must have an element of action, an outward expression to some extent.  Unfortunately, many churches today find themselves immobilized and detached from effective methods of engagement.  Considering the total income of American churchgoers is $5.2 trillion, it is obvious that “a lack of money is not our problem” (Richard Stearns).  It’s a lack of will.

Retreating from the world’s problems is not an option for a person committed to following a God that calls for the “chains of injustice” to be untied (Isaiah 58).  Sacrificing comfort, stability, and security in order to actively serve others was Jesus’ mission statement.  With the Bible containing almost 2,000 passages pertaining to social justice, there is no rationalization for the Christian church’s apathy.

We can continue to pray for our missionaries, of course.  And naturally, we can send away a portion of the contents of the offering plate to them.  But what if a missionary didn’t have to be a person travelling thousands of miles across the ocean to foreign lands in order to ameliorate suffering?  What if we used the ground we are walking upon–right here, right now–as our own personal mission field?

In Luke 4:18, we are called to “proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to set the oppressed free.”  That is why I am choosing to stand in solidarity with thousands of others in the Abolitionist Faith Community who want to combine spirituality with direct, concrete, and meaningful action—by Fasting For Freedom.  During the 40 days of Lent, I am fasting from one meal a day and paying forward the amount of money I would’ve spent on that meal to Not For Sale.  The funds Not For Sale receives will be invested into creating and growing social enterprises that employ survivors of human trafficking and empower vulnerable communities.

Not For Sale is founded upon a clear, solution-based principle: we all have a role in the modern-day abolitionist movement.  We are all connected to the global slave trade, but we are also in the position to end it.  If you’re a person of faith, put it to action.  If you’re a student, then challenge your peers to become more educated and engaged.  If you’re a consumer, then make your purchase your advocacy.

Faith does not have to be legalistic.  Faith can transcend the rituals of attending church, studying scripture, and praying.  It can become a results-producing, world-changing, slavery-ending social revolution. 

Stories of Hope.

Stories of Hope.

My dear friend Saskia is on staff with Not For Sale in Amsterdam.  Saskia is the European Coordinator.  She works with Toos, the Netherlands Director and work to pull girls out to the windows in the red light district and into alternative work and to restore their well-being.  Saskia and I met over a year ago at my Academy.  She spoke the last day and I don’t exactly remember everything that she said but her presence stuck with me.  We were reunited again for the last Global Forum on Human Trafficking (http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/events/global-forum-on-human-trafficking/).  And then we spent quite a bit of time over the last few months together in Half Moon Bay while Saskia worked on getting her Dutch passport.  During the few months we spent tons of time together and had many conversations and exchanged numerous stories.  All filled with hope.

Another dear friend of mine, Christina is also on Staff with Not For Sale in Capetown, South Africa.  Christina works with the local law enforcement and helps to investigate and identify human trafficking victims.  Recently, the Not For Sale Victims Assistance Center has been funded and Chrsitina will be working hard to get the facility up and running.  Christina and I actually met at the Global Forum this last year.  During the Global Forum, I had the opportunity to hang out with the International staff and just be there when they needed me.  There was, Toos from NFS Amsterdamn, Maria from NFS Romania, Boreth from NFS Cambodia, Saskia from NFS Europe and Christina from NFS South Africa.  During those few days I spent almost all my time with them and during that time I think I learned that not only were they the International staff, but they were real people.

I think we often live for the results and the data.  And we often live for the stories of hope.  Two completely ends of the spectrums of outcomes.  But we often don’t realize that, this is about lives.  That this is about individuals and their lives, which is a lifetime of stories.  I think that the story of hope is that we are actually doing something about it.  Like my friends Saskia and Christina.  There are many people out there that are trying and working everyday to get individuals out of modern-day slavery.

Follow their new blog here: http://itwasforfreedom.org/2012/02/22/the-movement-for-freedom/

Adrienne | Week 4: I am Canadian?

I am Canadian.  Those that recognize this reference know that the source comes from a slogan used in a popular commercial of one of Canada’s national prides – the beer.  The commercial comes in many forms, and discusses why, we as Canadians (my apologies for lumping in any non-Canadians reading this), should be very proud of our country.  There are many things to be proud of as a Canadian.  We pride ourselves on our hockey teams, our Great Canadian Outdoors, our nation’s heart-stopping signature dish – poutine, accessible health care, and being “left-wing bike-riding pinkos.”  We are proud that within our history, we were a pivotal part of the Underground Railroad, and were seen as leaders in the abolition movement.

What I am not proud of is my country’s current stance on human-trafficking.  I recently read the book “Invisible Chains” by Benjamin Perrin, one of Canada’s few experts on human-trafficking.  I was appalled to learn that out of eight industrialized nations, Canada was ranked at the bottom, receiving a grade of an F.  In comparison, the United States received the highest grade, a B+.  These rankings were based on best practices in terms of providing support for victims of human-trafficking.  Canada’s approach to the issue is egregious.  Instead of providing services, acknowledging and dealing with calls for reform, and creating policies that would protect and prevent further cases of human-trafficking, we deal with the issue by subjecting victims to routine deportation.  Shame.

On top of this, Canada has a history of embarrassing behavior towards trafficking that exploits and marginalizes women.  It was only recently that Canada finally abolished the “Exotic Dancer Visa”, a visa that completely deprived immigrant women of their human rights and dignity.  An amendment to the Bill created shortcuts within the immigration system, allowing foreign exotic dancers to be fast-tracked through the system without case-by-case confirmation.  This opened up a storm of poor documentation, and as a result, poor monitoring of the rights and legal status of these women.  To qualify for this visa, women need only show a letter stating that the job was up for offer; this was often no more than a printout of an online advertisement.  Foreign exotic dancers with job offers from Canadian employers could apply for and receive their work permit at a port of entry, without detailed scrutiny of the circumstances, underlying the demand for this service.  Three-month long visas were granted to these women, but were held by their employers.  Employers controlled the contracts, the women’s work hours, work locations, and pay.  Recruitment fees were hidden within a woman’s earnings, and deducted from their salary for securing the job.  Canada allowed women to work in a marginalized employment sector and gave their employers massive control over their status, work conditions, and lives.  Double shame.

There’s a lot of work that needs to be done within the Canadian system to prevent and protect human-trafficking.  We refer to ourselves as “The True North strong and free;” until we make real efforts to abolish slavery on our ground, let’s re-evaluate our stance.  Let’s remember that we were once the final destination of the Underground Railroad, and go back to being a leader in helping those that are trafficked.  Let’s be proud to say “we stand on guard for thee,” and actually mean it.  Call on your MP to adopt a national plan of action to combat human-trafficking.  You can access your MP’s address here and find out more about what Canada is doing towards stopping human-trafficking.

Week Four | The Cause

One of the things that our fellowship director told us at the very beginning has resonated with me on a day-to-day basis. She said, “It’s not about me, it’s about the cause.” I’ve learned that this statement holds true and is not something to be taken lightly. It’s not easy to comprehend and definitely not always a breeze to follow through with. We have grown up in a culture where we are trained to think, “Why do I need to give that person one minute of my time?”

The fellows now have four weeks of the fellowship under their belt. I know I’m not alone when I say that the past four weeks have not been a sunny walk on the beach—although I can’t complain about my runs past “Miramar Beach.” The work has been demanding, at times draining. There is so much to be done and just not enough time to do it all. Our stress comes from the fact that we can never really feel satisfied with our work, because there is always something else to be done. Most of us work past dinner – sweatpants on and with the laptop positioned just right in our beds.

Fighting modern-day slavery just doesn’t seem to end at 5PM.

The other weekend, I had the pleasure of driving around San Francisco on a Sunday afternoon to work and set up a Not For Sale booth at the Unlikely Heroes benefit. The weather could not have been more gorgeous. The cafes, brunch spots and parks around the city were all filled with people and their dogs. Katie and I, however, spent the day driving around Market St., sans working GPS. What should’ve been a ten minute drive ended up being ninety minutes. It’s a miracle that I made it out of the city without getting into an accident and running over a pedestrian and/or dog. I had the delight of driving the wrong way onto a couple one-way streets, beeped at numerous times, and yelled at by a random pedestrian for pulling over and crying. It was by far one of the most frustrating days of my life. I usually took pride in myself on having an “inner GPS” and a good sense of direction. The stereotype that pegged Asian women with being bad drivers didn’t apply to me. But that day, it indeed approved to be a reality. It took everything in me not to chuck my outdated “smart” phone out the window as it directed me around the same block over and over. I’ve had nightmares of the woman’s robotic voice saying, “recalculating, recalculating…”

We eventually made it to the event in one piece and the response that we got from the attendees made the frenzy of the day worth it. Those that knew of Not For Sale had only encouraging things to say and the people that had no knowledge of human trafficking were just blown away by our efforts. There was also a great feeling of synergy to be surrounded by others fighting the same cause. Erica Greve, founder of Unlikely Heroes,  and Nola Brantley, co-founder of Misssey, amongst many others were in attendance.

To this day, I have no idea if I’m allowed to drive in those lanes designated for buses, taxis, and cyclists. I don’t know the purpose of those spikes and bumps on the road, along with the MUNI’S ugly overhead cables that just seem to dirty up the ever so gorgeous sky. [I haven’t gotten around to googling it.] So, what kept Katie and I from turning around and heading back to our sleepy and peaceful town of Half Moon Bay that day? “It’s not about us, it’s about the cause.” 

Week 4: What does it take to be an abolitionist?

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable … Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”  – Martin Luther King, Jr.

When I applied for the Not For Sale Fellowship last summer, I was told explicitly that the six-month program would not be easy.  “You’ll work harder than you ever have in your life,” my interviewer bluntly told me, with an edge of warning in her voice.

Her comment made me want to be accepted for the position even more.

It’s been a month since I first began my training as a modern-day abolitionist … and there is no doubt that my interviewer was right.  It’s a six-month sprint—but how could I expect anything less when I’m part of the movement to end slavery?  How could I be anything but willing and eager to expend all of my energy for the goal of justice?

 I believe that everyone is capable of making a meaningful contribution to the abolitionist movement.  Yet I am skeptical about the pursuit of justice as a vocation for the sole purpose of personal fulfillment.  I believe that devoting one’s life to such an endeavour requires a sincere willingness to sacrifice time, comfort, resources, and even pride.  I’ve realized that if I am truly here to be a smart activist within the drive to end modern-day slavery, I must be willing to suffer a little for the cause.  As I was told on my first day of training:  “It’s not about you—it’s about the movement.”

Of course it’s not easy.  The work itself is exhausting, and the level of difficulty is only exacerbated by not always seeing change occur instantaneously.  But it’s not about how rewarding this work is for me.  It’s not about gaining personal satisfaction from seeing the fruits of my labour.  It’s about giving everything that’s within me, regardless of what that entails, to develop sustainable solutions that create a shift in culture and mentality, and that will free those in captivity.

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable,” said Martin Luther King Jr.  If I want to see an end to human trafficking, it’s going to take some sweat.  I must be the change I wish to see in the world. 

CNN’s Freedom Project

“CNN is joining the fight to end modern-day slavery by shining a spotlight on the horrors of modern-day slavery, amplifying the voices of the victims, highlighting success stories and helping unravel the complicated tangle of criminal enterprises trading in human life.”

If you haven’t heard of CNN’s Freedom Project, it is definitely something worth checking out. They have joined in the fight modern day slavery by exposing the  ”horrors of modern-day slavery, amplify the voices of the victims, highlight success stories and help unravel the complicated tangle of criminal enterprises trading in human life.” It is always so encouraging when large companies use their resources and voice to shine a light on human trafficking. Sadly, it often takes a high profile organization to speak out about injustice for anything to be done about it.

A few weeks ago Jerry told us all that CNN was hosting a fair trade chocolate challenge.  The challenge involved making a dessert using fair trade chocolate, and then submit a picture or video of the process along with any difficulties you had in finding fair trade chocolate. The fellows quickly jumped on board and we started brainstorming ideas of what we could do for a unique, fun video that discussed fair trade chocolate, as well as give consumers tips for buying fair trad products and knowing more about ‘the story behind the barcode.’

We hit up Trader Joe’s to find some fair trade chocolate, spent most of last Sunday filming the video, and finished editing last week in time to submit our project, ‘Holly’s Kitchen.’ The video and story were also put up on Not For Sale’s news page.

Information regarding the child slaves being used to make chocolate around the world is something that has recently gotten a lot of media attention as well. CNN’s David McKenzie  traveled to West Africa to help expose the unsettling number of child slaves that are being used to harvest cocoa. It wasn’t long after this report aired that  Hershey pledged $10 million over the next five years to educate West African cocoa farmers on improving their trade and combating child labor. Not bad.

On another notes, Not For Sale celebrated it’s 5th birthday this past week. We had a small celebration at the office on Monday morning to celebrate.

Anna, Jerry, Matt, Sam, Katie, Adrienne, and I taking advantage of all the balloons.

It is still amazing to me what this organization has managed to do in 5 years. I can only imagine what we can do in the next 5 years.