“The unfortunate reality is that women’s issues are marginalized, and in any case sex trafficking and mass rape should no more be seen as women’s issues than slavery was a black issue or the Holocaust was a Jewish issue. These are all humanitarian concerns, transcending any one race, gender, or creed.” ― Nicholas D. Kristof, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
I tend to be a binge reader. You know–the kind who thinks bookmarks are for quitters. But when I read Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nikolas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, I was unable to handle more than a chapter at a time. As I read each unbelievable story of adversity, horror, violence, help and overcoming, the thought that played on repeat in my mind was, “that could have been one of my daughters.” Really–it could have been one of my daughters who didn’t make it home from getting water because she was kidnapped, beaten, raped, and sold into slavery. It could have been one of my daughters who was forced to marry a man who considered her a piece of property to be discarded when he tired of her. It could have been one of them who died because she was unable to get medical care for herself and her unborn baby. She could have been the one who learned, day after day, that all hard work gets you is more hard work the next day, not opportunities for personal growth and fulfillment.
Kristof and WuDunn are clear in their book; they “hope to recruit you to join an incipient movement to emancipate women and fight global poverty….” Well, it worked. After I finished Half the Sky, I knew I needed to do something, but I didn’t know what.
Around the same time I read Half the Sky, my friend, Bethany, started posting on her social media about the Freedom Hike she was doing. I love hiking, just about as much as reading, and my interest was piqued. I began researching Rescue: Freedom International, and I knew that I had found the what for my why.
Human trafficking is at an all-time high. It exists everywhere, even in our respectable, first-world, U.S. communities. I know I can’t end it by myself, and I know that I’m not able to physically rescue women and children. But, I can raise money and awareness. I can support people who are already in place doing the frontline work.
Rescue: Freedom International works with local partners to rescue and restore women and children who have been victims of human trafficking. Their administrative costs are covered by private donors, so 100% of fundraising money goes directly to the women and children. $2,000 rescues a woman or child and provides one year of restorative care. Care that treats the whole person: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and vocational.
When I first decided to do Freedom Hike 2019, my goal was to raise $8000…I wanted to free four girls because I have four, free girls. My oldest daughter, Stef, is hiking with me. Together our goal is to raise $12,000. If we reach our goal, SIX people will be freed from slavery and free to grow, learn, and live.
Stef and I will be hiking 24 miles in one day through the Enchantments (Cascade Mountain Range) in Washington on August 2. Here’s a short video of last year’s hike, and here’s a full description of our hike.
This week marks the official start of training. Ten weeks of hikes, learning more about Rescue: Freedom International, safety training, and team building. Our goal is to keep our friends and family updated about our training and about what we are learning via this blog. Stef and I will take turns filling you in on our journey. We’d love for you to follow along.
Please support us as we hike for freedom! We’d appreciate your prayers, good thoughts, encouragement, and also your money. =)
Thanks for reading!
Melanie
Team Wasko Hikes for Freedom 2022 Tahoe & West Virginia 