I'm running a half marathon for Hope for Justice

yes, i'm doing it. in two weeks i am running a half marathon!

 



this might not be very impressive for some people, but to me it is quite a big achievement.
it has been hard work training for it but also a lot of fun and i definitely fell in love with running.

why am i doing this? well, partly it is something i always wanted to do (it is on my bucket list) but also i wanted to raise awareness about a topic that is very close to my heart.

there are more people in slavery today that there have been ever before in human history. according to different sources about 21 to 27 million men, women and children around the world are held in some form of slavery. there are different forms of slavery. in many developing countries there are still structures in place that keep people in serfdom debt bondage. bonded labourers have to work off their debt to their employers, or to middlemen: they may be physically free to leave, but can be blackballed by other employers and landowners.
also, there are the massive, complex problems surrounding severe labour exploitation, mainly affecting migrant workers. desperate to leave their home countries and their desolate economic situations, often deceived by recruiters about job prospects and conditions abroad, migrants are often charged high sums for visas or other transaction costs, travel in dangerous and inhumane ways to their destination and then are made to work for low wages in miserable conditions to pay off debts that are never explained to them. 
there are many stories of especially girl who get forced into sex work, they get deprived of their passports, brought nations in which they don't speak the language and get locked into small hotel rooms for years, made to serve 10 - 20 men a day.

hope for justice is a charity that fights against slavery and human trafficking. their concept is fourfold: first they invest to train frontline professionals such as the police, care homes, doctors and outreach programs to identify victims and/or work appropriately with them. second, they have specialist investigators to identify victims of human trafficking, build bridges of trust with them and remove them from situations of exploitation. the third tier is advocacy - securing criminal and civil justice for victims and making sure survivors have access to housing and health services. fourth is restoration. they work with survivors to overcome trauma and to rebuild their lives.

you can find out more about their work and read survivor stories on the website of hope for justice here.

it would be amazing, if you would be willing to donate some money to hope for justice. i am at a stage in my life where i don't have a lot of money but i am healthy and have to legs on which i can run. if for every kilometer i run i can raise £9.50 i can reach my goal of raising £200. it's only two more weeks so get donating and share about the cause (just click on the image below). thanks for your support! 

World Women's Day | Be her freedom

today is international women's day - so if you're a lady (or a man): happy women's day.
this years theme is 'make it happen' and focuses to encourage women in different professional sectors such as the arts, female-owned businesses, women in senior leadership roles and all aspects of working environments where gender parity has not been achieved yet.

i think it is fantastic to celebrate the accomplishments of women and to raise awareness about the fact that there still is a pay gap, that women often have to work harder to reach certain positions and that they still have to face sexism and discrimination. 

as passionate as i am about this years theme, i wanted to take the opportunity to raise our attention to the fact that many women today live in slavery. in fact, it is estimated that of the 21-36 million enslaved today, approximately 55% are women and girls. 

these are startling numbers and in many ways it can make us feel powerless and overwhelmed. 
however, there is things we can do. there is many charities which work to end slavery and to set victims free. one of this charities is the a21 campaign which works to fight human trafficking, including sexual exploitation and forced slave labour. 

the a 21 campaign focusses to combat slavery through educational awareness and prevention, the protection of victims by providing medical and psychological treatment as well as legal and vocational assistance in crisis centres, shelters and transitional homes. also, the aim is to have traffickers persecuted. a21 works together with various partners including official bodies, community members and other organisations and corporations. 

i want to encourage you to maybe start thinking whether you can support this campaign or another anti-trafficking charity financially but also to include this issue regularly in your prayers. 




to find out more visit www.a21.org