5/21/2015

Freedom





I still remember the first time I really heard about human trafficking. It was almost precicely three years ago just before we left California and were preparing to move back to Finland. Of course I had heard of human trafficking multiple times before. Stories about children being sold to the pleasure of greedy tourists somewhere in Asia, people being scammed into slavery through false promises of a better living somewhere abroad... But it wasn't until I heard a visiting speaker at our school talking about the subject that something changed in me towards it. Her name was Erica Greve, the Founder and CEO of an anti-human trafficking organisation called Unlikely Heroes. She laid bare the cruel facts, 27 million slaves (more than double the number of Africans enslaved during the trans-atlantic slave trade), nearly half of them children, making it the 2nd most lucrative crime in the world and still growing. But she didn't leave us in the state of depression those kind of facts can generate. Instead she shared what they had accomplished around the world through their organisation and challenged us to open up our eyes and see that we all can do something. And if we all do, we can actually change the course of history, just like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King had done before us. In the end she challenged us with a question. Most of us have read in our history books about the sickening events of WWII and its mass murders of Jews and how not too long ago our society regarded slavery as a norm. Reading about these things makes us ponder how could anyone allow something so detestable take place and contemplate why only a few dared to oppose what was going on around them. Erica asked us, will you be one of those people just watching silently from the side, or will you join those who dare to make a differencet?

That question changed me. It resonated with something much deeper inside of me and I knew I couldn't just walk away and forget all about it. In that moment I made a decision that I will never again be just a bystander. The fact that I had this revelation just before we were leaving the US made me sad, because I didn't know of any similar organisations in Finland that I could join. But I knew that what happened was bigger than me and it would all work out just as its supposed to. So since I wasn't able to right away put in my time and sweat for the cause, I decided to support financially an organisation monthly until the time I might be able to do something more. Little did I know that around the same time of my epiphany, an anti-human trafficking organisation was being established here in Finland and after six months of being back in Finland I found my place as one of its members. V.A.L.O - ei orjuudelle (Light - no to slavery) is still a fairly new organisation, but we are crazy enough to dream big. This year we organised an event called Run For Freedom  for the second time in Helsinki, raising over 17000€ to fight human trafficking! I'm still in awe of how everything really worked out.

Our world is filled with problems to be solved and people to be helped. At times it can get overwhelming hearing of all the cruelty happening all across this planet and the truth is, you can't change it all by yourself. The beauty of our uniqueness is that we can all find our own place and calling and pour ourselves into the things that resonate with us. Maybe you're passionate about the preservation of rain forests and wildlife. Maybe you want to fight for everyones right to receive an education or you dream about finding a cure for cancer. At the moment it might seem like there's not much you can do and all the doors appear to be shut, but as I've had the privilege to experience first hand, when we're faithful with the little, we will get the chance to be part of the bigger. All you need to do is follow that passion and not let hopelessness quench your fire. Yes, there are more slaves now than ever, but there are also more people on this planet than ever before and I believe that as the rest of us who live in freedom unite to fight for those who can't fight for themselves, we will change the world. 

So the question I want to leave you with today is: Will you be one of those people just watching silently from the side, or will you join those who dare to make a difference?



xxx



Photos by Adriana Dobrin

Denim Jacket: BikBok
Jeans: Zara
Shoes: Vans
Tote: Run For Freedom

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