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.