Made By Survivors

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Went to an awesome party last night at my friend Ginger's house, sort of a "Tupperware party" with a heart (and on steroids). Only instead of Tupperware, she was selling beautiful, handmade pieces of art. The most amazing part though is that the hands that made the art belong to women who have been rescued from human trafficking and modern day slavery (WHAT?!?!?) !!!

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The idea behind the project is to empower women who have had their most basic human right, FREEDOM, taken violently from them and to give them an opportunity to take their life back and create beauty and INCOME for survival, all the while educating them in the ways of business!!! Is that not the SMARTEST thing you have ever heard?!? Me too!!!

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In some of these countries, the value placed on a woman is much less than a man simply because she is a woman (and of course less capable of bringing home the bacon). Top that with the stigma related to a women who spent years in sexual slavery, and the future looks dim at best.

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All of a sudden, this gal is supporting her family and finding healing. Many women find so much more than healing though.

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They find themselves.

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They find power. They find strength.

They find self-respect. They find hope.

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Hope is a beautiful thing.

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Speaking of a beautiful thing (or a hundred beautiful things!), check out the amazing pieces these women have created and consider placing an order and taking the hand of a sister.

(Click on patch)

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This is the piece I'll be wearing to all my Christmas parties...Can't WAIT to get it!!

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A eye opening statment from madebysurvivors.com

Where does Slavery and Trafficking Happen?
Currently, the regions of the world with the most severe trafficking problems are Southeast Asia (the Mekong region including Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar/Burma), South Asia (the Indian subcontinent, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), the former Soviet Republics (including the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic).
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But every country in the world is involved in the web of human trafficking. Most of the victims come from poorer countries, which serve primarily as source countries or countries of origin. Richer nations, such as the US, Australia, or Japan, are primarily destination countries, where victims are taken to. Many countries serve as transit countries, where victims are held temporarily en route to destination countries. For example, many women from the former Soviet republics are trafficked to the US through Mexico. Israel is another transit country for people sold into Europe. The FBI estimates that as many as 18,000 are trafficked into the US each year, to work in brothels, strip clubs, nail salons and massage parlors, or as domestic servants, nannies, and farm laborers. People can also be trafficked within their home countries, often from rural areas to large cities. Trafficking can be transnational, meaning across country borders, or internal, meaning within one country.

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