Introducing Himalayan Foothills Journals

The newest addition to our growing group of products is a collection of absolutely gorgeous journals, memory books, notepads & stationary sets. Not only are these the perfect place to store your favorite photos or write your thoughts & prayers... they will be making a wonderful Christmas gift for more than one person on my list!

These stationary products are handmade by artisans living in the foothills of the Himalayas in Northern India, from 100% recycled cotton paper. They are produced in a community where women are not allowed to work outside they home, which makes life extremely difficult for families without a male presence. Making these products is dignifying work which the women are able to do at home.

Your purchase of these products provides the women with HOPE in a place where people would otherwise only make a dollar a day.

The best part about these handmade journals are the hands that made them.

Making a Difference in Mumbai

I am so excited to be able to introduce you to iSanctuary & share a little bit about the exciting work they are doing in India.

iSanctuary's vision is expressed by the acronym H.O.P.E.

H - Healing

O - Opportunity

P - Purchase with Purpose

E - Empowerment

Healing: International Sanctuary works to ensure that the girls it serves have access to proper mental, emotional, and spiritual counseling as well as medical treatment.

Opportunity: International Sanctuary exists to provide opportunities for girls to grow, gain restoration, and eventually sustain themselves by earning an income as they reintegrate into society. Opportunity is created through education: literacy, numeracy, and the development of life and vocational skills.

Purchase with Purpose: International Sanctuary offers the world an opportunity to purchase with purpose, to buy unique, progressively-styled handcrafted products, and in so doing help trafficked survivors earn an income with which they can sustain themselves. By creating and selling handmade items, survivors are able to earn a life-giving income.

Empowerment: International Sanctuarys goal is to see trafficked survivors fully restored and reintegrated into society. For this to happen, survivors must be empowered with belief in themselves. Belief that they can truly succeed. The foundation for rehabilitation and reintegration lies in the empowerment that results from self-confidence, self-reliance, and hope for a future filled with possibility.

The jewelry the girls create is lovely. The story behind it even more beautiful!

To learn more about iSanctuary you may visit their website. And feel free to contact me to find out what pieces we currently have available.

In closing, I would like to share a story from their website, to give you a peek into the world of prostitution in India. And to give you HOPE, knowing that organizations like iSanctuary are truly making a difference. *All names are changed to keep anonymity.

In the darkness of Bangladesh a girl slept on the dirt floor of a shack. Poverty is commonplace in developing countries but this is not a story of poverty, its a story about how poverty can lead to some of the most inhumane treatment of people.

As Saheli* slept one night, a neighbor crept into the house and kidnapped her. Rendered unconscious, Saheli awoke in Mumbai, far from her village and her home. As a 12 year old village girl, she was very confused and afraid which led her to trust the one person she knew, her neighbor. He lied and told her that a job had been arranged for her in a restaurant in the city. But Saheli never made it to that restaurant. Instead, she spent the first week in Mumbai being beaten, starved, and raped. Once her spirit was broken, she spent every day and night for the remaining four years as a sex slave for a brothel owner.

Fortunately, Sahelis story doesnt end in a brothel. She was rescued.

Saheli has been in iSanctuarys program for over a year. Though she was hesitant to get involved in the beginning, she has now risen to the top and excelled, proving herself to be a skilled jewelry designer. She has designed several one of a kind, exclusive pieces that are a favorite of many women. Saheli continues to attend school and will hopefully join iSanctuary on a full-time basis when she graduates. She is a young woman with much tenacity. Her bold enthusiasm has made her a natural leader. iSanctuary will be grateful to have her as a leader in the program.

International Princess™ Project

I am so excited to share that we are in the process of partnering with this incredible project!

In February of 2005, International Princess™ Project founder Shannon Keith went on a trip to India that opened her eyes to the devastation of lives happening on the streets and in the brothels. After visiting a red-light district, she could not forget what she saw - young girls sold by their families, orphans picked up off the street by pimps, even young mothers just trying to feed their children. Many were held against their will. Others were trapped by economics. Those who escaped the brothels often returned just to survive. 


Compelled by the magnitude of this reality, Shannon and her team of volunteers founded International Princess™ Project to advocate for these women, to give them opportunities to restore their broken lives and empower them to live in freedom. The traditional Indian Sari, worn in even the darkest places in India, became the inspiration for International Princess™ Project. The sari's bright colors and beautiful designs are fit for princesses.

Women who leave the brothels need occupational training and job opportunities to help them find dignity, self-worth and hope for a future outside of the red light districts. When women become a part of an International Princess Project sewing center, they take the first step toward supporting themselves in a dignified way. 


PUNJAMMIES™, pajamas made from these beautiful fabrics of India, by women employed at the sewing centers, are exported to the U.S and sold as a premium-brand of sleepwear. Proceeds from the sale of Punjammies help to pay wages, provide living expenses, create savings accounts and provide holistic support and restoration for the ladies in the PUNJAMMIE™ program. International Princess™ Project is committed to creating self-sustaining enterprises in India that provide opportunities for women formally enslaved in prostitution a place to heal from the past and find hope for the future.

I feel so blessed to be able to support this project & to become part of the Punjammie Story!

Introducing Cambodia Knits

If you are searching for that perfect gift for your little ones, the search may be over! I gave a set of these to my Grandkids for Christmas & they were quite a hit! Knit in Cambodia, these finger puppets are the cutest things I have seen :). And the story behind them makes them even better...

Cambodia Knits is a social enterprise working with marginalized communities near Phnom Penh. Their goal is to produce beautiful, high quality and unique hand knit products while providing fair and flexible employment opportunities. And they are putting their profits back into the communities because they believe that putting people ahead of profit results in a great product!

Currently we are only carrying their finger puppets, but it won't be long before we add the cutest assortment of "monsters" you have ever seen!

You can visit their website to view photos of all their products & to learn more about Cambodia Knits & the difference they are making in Cambodia. We are proud to partner with them & to be able to support the work they are doing :)

Suubi (which means HOPE)

We are thrilled to be able to introduce to you these beautiful magazine bead necklaces, made in Uganda by the women of Suubi.

The Suubi Profect was launched in 2007, while it's founders, Dave & Morgan Hansow were living in Jinja, Uganda for the adoption of their daughter. At the orphanage, they met Anaso Grace and Adong Santa selling recycled paper-beaded necklaces. And after they visited the original 60+ women who met each Sunday to bead together under a jackfruit tree in the village of Walukuba, Suubi was birthed – merely a response to a talent and a need.

Suubi is the name of this self-governing community-based organization of beautiful women that make the jewelry, as well as the product name here in the states.

In addition to purchasing their jewelry each week (and tripling their usual profit), volunteers also run weekly Literacy and English classes for the women of Suubi and simply spend time with them. The majority of the 100 women are Acholi widows who have been displaced from Northern Uganda because of an over 20-year-long war that has directly affected their tribe and homeland.

Despite the tragedies they have seen, the hardships they face, and the unpredictability of life in Africa, these beautiful women of Suubi have joy on their faces and hope in their hearts.

Hope is the essence of Suubi.

Does it Really Happen Here??

Much of what we hear about slavery involves other countries. Places like Cambodia, Thailand, or India. As a result, I believe we have a tendency to think of it as something that only happens in faraway places like these.

Perhaps we are a little more comfortable believing it is something that just happens OVER THERE somewhere.

But the reality is that slavery is happening right here in America, in our very own neighborhoods, in our own backyards.

The numbers of trafficking victims in the US is estimated in the hundreds of thousands. These estimates include numbers of American Citizens trafficked internally, as well as minors in the U.S. that are involved in commercial sex, and also the U.S. State Department’s estimate of up to 17,500 foreign nationals that are trafficked into the United States each year.

Women & children from all over the world are brought illegally to LA, New York, Chicago, DC & dozens of other cities where they live as sex slaves. The United States has become a large scale importer of slaves, for the commercial sex industry as well as for labor.

In addition, some federal officials estimate that at least 18,000 American girls and women are trafficked for sex in the United States EVERY YEAR!

That is 18,000 AMERICAN children, teenagers, and women. EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

And again, before we protect ourselves from the reality of this, by thinking "Surely it doesn’t happen HERE... she must be talking about Florida, and LA & New York...somewhere else. Not HERE"...

There have been human trafficking cases reported all over America, in almost all 50 states!

OHIO HAS THE 4TH LARGEST NUMBER OF CALLS INTO THE NATIONAL HOTLINE NUMBER FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS... with a majority of those calls originating from the Columbus area.

The FBI has named Ohio as one of the top recruiting locations for underage prostitution.

The Toledo area is considered a major hub for Human Trafficking.

An OSU Professor was discovered running a Brothel off of Craigslist.

About 1/2 of the Police Officers working in Cincinnati believe they have encountered a victim of Human Trafficking.

Just this past May, after a year long investigation, the FBI shut down 3 Massage Parlors which were actually fronts for Brothels, where Non English speaking Korean women were being prostituted. These brothels were located in Burlington & Florence KENTUCKY!

Interstate 75/71 is a major route traffickers use to move girls from one place to another.

In 2008, 35 cases of human trafficking were identified in KY, involving over 89 people.

Several years ago, in Villa Hills, a women was enslaved as a Domestic Servant, being forced to live in the family’s garage. A concerned neighbor reported the situation after she heard screaming.

Also in Villa Hills 7 Latin American men were living in a locked basement in a wealthy neighborhood, forced to work in a restaurant off Buttermilk Pike. If you ate at this restaurant you might have seen one of them, busing the tables, washing dishes, or cooking your meal. Hidden in plain sight.

2 Arizona women came to KY with a man, after being told they could make really good money here working in a strip club. One of the girls had a baby, and the man offered to watch the child while they were at the club working. After work, the child was gone & the mother was told if she wanted to see her child again she would have to work for him as a prostitute.

In 2009 , there were 10 cases in Northern KY alone, that involved the trafficking of a minor.

YES, Human Trafficking does happen here. This isn't just a problem that exists on the other side of the globe. On the other side of our country. Or even the other side of our city.

It is happening right here, in our very own neighborhoods. Right down the street. In the restaurants we eat in or the hotel we drive by everyday. The victims are hidden, often right in plain sight.

I have heard it said several times that what we are seeing right now is just the tip of the iceberg. That we haven’t even begun to see what lies below the surface.

Once we begin to accept the reality of this, perhaps our eyes will be opened to look beneath the surface. And to see those who so desperately need our help.

The beauty of Freeset

I am going to head in a different direction today. Rather than write about Thailand, I want to share with you an amazing story... the Freeset story.

Sonagacchi, the oldest and largest of Calcutta's many red-light districts, is home to the six thousand women who sell themselves there. Shoulder to shoulder the women stand, in line... as far as the eye can see. Waiting to be chosen. Scanning this everyday spectacle is a steady stream of men. Up to twenty thousand men come each day... as if shopping in a supermarket.

But now, there is a new business in Sonagacchi. A business focused on FREEDOM, instead of slavery.

Kerry Hilton, co-founder of Freeset says, "The business we are in is actually freedom and to obtain that, we manufacture export quality jute bags." Freeset is about transforming people, and an entire community. Financial profit is certainly not it's primary focus.

All the women at Freeset are paid the same, regardless of their skill level. They get several times what they could earn in a similar job anywhere else. In addition, Freeset has also established a pension scheme and provides health insurance. A low-cost day-care centre is provided for the children while their moms are at work, allowing them to be removed from the perils of the sex district during the day.

The women are also being taught to read and write in their own language. In the beginning, very few could write even their own names. Now they can all sign their names, as well as read simple, practical words. Basic math skills help them in their daily lives, such as shopping in the market. Literacy empowers them to participate more fully in the world around them as well as reducing their vulnerability.

Freeset is not a charity. Instead, it uses an "Upside Down" business model that turns the normal principles of business on their head. Kerry explains, "The way most people start a business is to pick the best people and pay them as little as possible. We pick the least educated and pay them the most we can."

The women at Freeset are being given the chance they never had. I am honored to sell the beautiful bags they create, and to be a small part of the Freeset story. By purchasing and using one, YOU can become a part of the story too.

Please visit their website to learn more.

Way outside my Comfort Zone

Our first night of outreach in Thailand was with the MST Project. I found myself at Nana Plaza in one of Bangkok's red-light districts, and I felt pretty awkward & unprepared for the evening. The sights, sounds, lights, crowds, noise... everything about the place was pretty overwhelming. I knew that we were just a few blocks from NightLight, and that much of the jewelry I sell is made by girls who once worked right here. But we weren't there to talk to the girls that night... MST stands for Male Sex Tourist, and we were there to talk to the men.

When I first learned of this project last year, I was stunned. Why on earth would someone want to go to the bars, to reach out to these men? Weren't these men the enemy? The ones who destroyed the lives of the girls I worked so hard to help, the ones who created the demand for young, beautiful girls who exist to satisfy their needs... these were pedophiles & disgusting men... yes, definitely the enemy.

The following was written by one of their staff members, and pretty clearly explains the WHY behind what they do~

"I believe that some of the men who come to Thailand looking for sex are hurting and in need and are trying to fill that need & hurt with love and intimacy. Yet, the love and intimacy that they seek in a red-light district is not the answer. When I first started this ministry there were a few people who told me that there was no hope for these men, that they were better left alone or ignored. But where is the compassion of God in that? I do not look at these men for where they currently are but rather for where they CAN be with a transformed heart... I believe that it is our responsibility to go to these men, when very few will, and bring the love of God to them..."

Wow.

Most of the men we talked to were not interested. Some were curious. Some antagonistic. And one young guy seemed a little embarrassed, maybe we reminded him of his mom & sister back home? And then we met Tom*. He was an older man, from the USA, and seemed to really want someone to talk to. Superficial conversation soon changed to deeper things & Tom shared with us that he comes there often, looking for friendship, for companionship. He told us he is lonely & that he comes, even though he knows this isn't the answer. As our time with Tom ended, cell phone numbers were exchanged & plans for coffee or lunch another day were made. I stopped and prayed for Tom, right there on the sidewalk in the red-light district of Bangkok, that he would find what he is looking for, the love that he is seeking.

Wow.

I am grateful for the chance we had to meet the MST team & to see God's love extended to men that I would never choose to extend it to. I was convicted. I was challenged. And I hope that I was changed.

*Not his real name

Thoughts about Thailand (Part 1)

My time in Thailand opened my eyes to a number of things, which I will attempt to write about over the weeks ahead. One of the issues I really couldn't get my mind around is the connection between human trafficking & prostitution. Where, exactly, is the line between them drawn? Or is there a line?

Some of the items we sell are made by women who have left the Commercial Sex Industry in Thailand. These women were not locked up, not chained to a bed in a brothel. They were free to walk away from what they were doing, so by definition, they were not "slaves". People have asked me why I sell these things... and questioned the connection between these organizations and those working with survivors of trafficking. After all, these girls were clearly not victims, since they had "chosen" their vocation. I often struggled in my attempts to find an answer to these honest concerns.

Now, I can't wait until the next person asks me, because I think I have some answers for them...

Thailand is a Source, Transit & Destination country for Human Trafficking, with Thai girls ending up all over the world. A majority of the women & children trafficked into Thailand are from Burma, Laos & Vietnam, and these are clearly victims. But what about the Thai girls who have CHOSEN to work in the bars?

Thailand has an estimated 2 million prostitutes. Pattaya alone has a multi-billion dollar sex industry, street after street is lined with bars & massage parlors. Everywhere you look, there are older American & European men walking hand in hand with young, beautiful Thai girls. These girls could walk away from their profession if they chose to, and you can't help but ask yourself why they don't?

Most of the girls we met were from Northern Thailand. They come from rural areas, where there is much poverty, little education & very few opportunities for young women. And without exception they work to send money back home to their families. In Thailand, a daughter is expected to provide for her parents, and it is often the family who sends their daughter to the city, to Bangkok or Pattaya or Phuket, to sell themselves in the flesh trade. I personally cannot understand how a mother or father could do this, but that doesn't change the fact that it happens everyday.

These girls will tell you that they chose what they are doing. But if you ask them what their other options were, about the other things they could have chosen... they will tell you they had none, that the Sex Industry WAS their only option.

I do not believe any little girl dreams of being a Prostitute when she grows up. I also do not believe any of these women really CHOSE what they are doing... it's more like prostitution chose them. Yes they can walk away, but to what? Poverty. Hunger, for themselves & their families. The shame of not providing for their parents.

I am so proud to sell jewelry made by the beautiful women at NightLight Designs in Bangkok & SHE Thailand in Phuket, as well as the greeting cards made by the girls at the Tamar Center in Pattaya. I am so blessed to be able to stand with these organizations, as they work to offer the women a CHOICE! Because when they are offered a real choice, perhaps for the first time in their lives, they are finally able to walk away. They actually DO have a choice now, and I applaud those who are choosing FREEDOM!

Leap and the Net will appear...

"Leap and the net will appear"...I read that once, a long time ago & have never forgotten it.

So often, we know what we are called to do. We know that next step we are supposed to take. We know what God is asking of us.
And yet... we hold back. We hesitate. Second guess ourselves.

Why??

Because we don't see the outcome... where that first step is going to take us. We don't know if there will be a happy ending. If anyone will join us... or if the journey will find us alone.

And yet, the truth is, if we never take that first step... there will be no journey at all. No ending... happy OR sad. And we will never know what God could have done with our lives, if we had just trusted Him.

I want to learn to just leap... believing that the net WILL appear. To take that first step, even if I have no clue where it will take me. To trust that I will NEVER walk alone.

I made the commitment to blog at least every Sunday. I wanted to write about human trafficking tonight... but this is what's on my heart. Perhaps it is my own heart longing to be free, from a different kind of slavery. To be free to follow His voice.

~Today there are more than 27 million slaves in our world. That is more people than were extracted from Africa during the 400 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.” (Kevin Bales- Disposable People)
~According to a CIA report, 700,000 to 2 million women and children worldwide are victimized by traffickers each year.
~The UN estimates that around 4 million people a year are now traded against their will to work in some form of slavery.
~Trafficking in human beings is now tied with illegal drugs as the 2nd largest money making venture in the world, after illegal weapons.

Slavery. Human trafficking. I expect these topics to be discussed in history books... but as current events? In the year 2010?
When faced with the staggering reality of these facts, I ask myself the question, “What can I do?” What can ANY of us do to fight this evil?

TRAFFICKING IS REAL
SOLUTIONS EXIST
JOIN THE FIGHT

Why am I doing this??

Since writing is one of my absolute favorite things to do, it only makes sense that I would eventually start blogging. And since the issue of human trafficking is what I am most passionate about (aside from Jesus) it also makes sense that this is what I would write about most frequently. So... welcome to my blog! I hope you come back often & that God uses this to encourage you to find your voice in this battle!