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Let's acknowledge that 2020 has been quite a year—one that none of us saw coming! For these reasons, we are all the more humbled and grateful for the generosity and support we’ve been able to provide because of people like you. Since we had to cancel all of our fundraising events early on, we felt deep concern for the people we are supporting in the Middle East and Asia as they faced the same pandemic as us, only on top of extreme poverty, threat, and slavery. But, while navigating a global pandemic, economic shut downs, isolation and grief, you showed up for them and offered yourself to elevate humanity and bring collective good. We ended up reaching our goals and able to do far more than we thought possible! That’s why you are invited to zoom out and look at a bigger picture—a hope-filled one. A picture of what you have accomplished by using your privilege and resources to participate with us in offering real, tangible hope to real, tangible people. Below are some of the highlights of the year, some of the good that has been accomplished in the midst of everything else. Take a look and celebrate some of the ways you helped bring hope into a hard, hard year. From all of us at All People Free, thank you so much for being in this with us. It means everything. Education:
Even with interruptions in schooling due to Covid-19 lockdowns, we were able to make progress through our primary and trade schools:
Covid-19: During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we have been able to partner with our sewing students, teachers, and other professionals to bring aid to families in crisis:
Anna’s House: With your help, we were able to get Anna's House—our first restoration home—up and running:
March 8th is International Women's Day and in Pakistan thousands of women will take to the streets to protest, many of whom have histories of being enslaved in brickyards. Pakistani women are fighting for the right to determine what happens to their bodies. According to Amnesty International (linked below), that includes "sexual and reproductive rights, and freedom from physical abuse, domestic violence and rape, or being subjected to any medical procedure without informed consent."
Women everywhere deserve to be free, and we stand with them as they fight for the freedom they deserve. Learn more about Pakistan and this year's Women's March (known in Pakistan as "Aurat March") here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/03/pakistan-amnesty-international-stands-with-aurat-march/ Learn more about International Women's Day here: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ Meet Safia and her sons, Asif and Qasim. Both of Safia’s sons lost their eyesight due to a disease and her late husband, Nazeer Masih, took out a loan to pay for their treatment. He used to work in the brickyards to feed his family and pay back the loan, but when he passed, the burden of supporting their family fell to Safia. Needing a way to pay back their debt and feed her family, she went to work in the brickyard.
Safia, her two sons, and her young daughter now live in the brickyard where they endure the harshness of the weather in a mud house and struggle to escape from the crippling debt that keeps them enslaved. Her daughter was unable to continue her education, and her sons’ blindness prevents them from most jobs. With their debts recently paid off by generous people in their local community, All People Free is working to raise $1000 to relocate them and set them up with employment that will give them a sustainable income and a hopeful future. If you’d like to help, please click below to donate towards the future of this family. To learn more about their story, feel free to watch a video that can be found here: https//www.facebook.com/minoritieswatch/videos/609663986434232/ |
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