#10FreeDays: Day 8 - A Daughter Shares Her Story of Restoration

Every trafficked girl deserves to be rescued and restored. She deserves having hope and a purpose for her life. Even though we have exceeded all expectations for #10freedays, let's keep sharing her story and FINISH STRONG!

We have raised enough to rescue 375 girls... and we're going for 450 over the last 3 days of 10freedays.

More exciting news... the Matching Gift challenge has been met. An additional 110 girls will be rescued with the $33,000 earned from the RB Nordick Foundation's generous challenge.

Day 8 of our campaign is a very special day because we get to hear from one of our daughters herself! Today, you will meet Karuna. She is a very special daughter who has been restored and has committed her life to keep her sisters in Nepal from enduring the pain she has suffered. She, and her Nepali sisters, are why I have committed to the 10 days to join the fight against trafficking in Nepal.

Meet Karuna! She is one of the thousands of girls that have been rescued and restored by Our Daughters International in Nepal. She will share her story of how she was rescued and is now dedicating her life to save her sisters in Nepal. She is a powerful social activist bringing anti-trafficking awareness to the girls and women of Nepal and boldly sharing her story of pain, as a platform for societal change.

 

Watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/405897549/4d7029166e

Rescuing and restoring girls like Karuna is why I became an Activist for #10freedays. I know this campaign is so important as it provides the resources for giving hope and a purpose to Karuna and hundreds of girls like her. 

🤜🤛 Please join me in the fight against trafficking by contributing to my fundraising goal through this link (also easily accessible in my LinkTree) now through August 10: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/OurDaughtersInternational/10freedays2020/WhitneyFields

✨ As an alternative to donating, you can also shop for a cause 🛍️ through my Stella & Dot fundraising link: www.stelladot.com/ts/nk9rj - and for every $50 sold, I'll donate $5 of my commission to the cause! 💖

#10FreeDays: Day 5 - Our Daughters are Transformed

Welcome to Day 5, the halfway point of our #10freedays campaign. We have raised over $90,290 with the help of almost 1000 donors!

Over 300 girls will be rescued in Nepal from our efforts so far!!

We are so grateful to all of the donors for helping us achieve our total campaign goal after only 4 days. There are still 5 more days left of this campaign - so let's keep going! 

Every dollar raised above my personal goal of $300 will be matched dollar for dollar (until the campaign reaches an additional $33,000!).

Today, I will share how ODI helps transform trafficking victims by providing them with instruction and education at our training center. This is crucial so our daughters can move through our program and exit feeling confident that they will have a way to provide for themselves. Please help us continue to spread the word about Our Daughters International.

After graduating from the Safe Home, our daughters are welcomed into the Training Center. Ratina will share an introduction to the Training Center in today’s video: https://vimeo.com/405896741/7632c3c3e4

During their 6-9 month stay, our daughters develop the job skills necessary to launch their own micro-business. The Training Center can house up to 40 daughters at a time and it is here that they grow strong physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Many of the daughters attend the Social Leadership Development School, which develops their ability to be powerful anti-trafficking advocates upon returning to their community.

As a woman who has owned her own business for 10 years, this particular aspect of the rescue process is my favorite. Helping a woman launch something of her own is truly empowering. 

Having designed two "Whitney" tees with Elegantees, which provides employment to rescued women in the Kingdom of Hope Sewing Center, I'm so proud to be sharing my business headshots wearing one of those tops.

 

Photos were taken by Brook Todd.

 

Being a #10freedays Activist is allowing me to give our daughters a PURPOSE for their lives, and I’m asking you to please join me in transforming the futures of so many girls in Nepal.

🤜🤛 Please join me in this fight against trafficking by contributing to my fundraising goal through this link: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/OurDaughtersInternational/10freedays2020/WhitneyFields

✨ As an alternative way to donate, you can also shop for a cause 🛍️ through my Stella & Dot fundraising link: www.stelladot.com/ts/nk9rj - and for every $50 sold, I'll donate $5 of my commission to the cause! 💖

#10FreeDays: Day 4 - She is Now Our Daughter

Today is Day 4 of our #10freedays campaign. Here is an update on how we're doing after Day 3. As of 9:00 pm last night (8/3), we have raised just over $75,000 with the help of 204 activists!

That enough to rescue 250 girls from trafficking in Nepal!!

Day 4: How a survivor rescued at the border officially becomes "our daughter" in the safe home.

Trafficking survivors become our daughters! What a powerful image… one that motivated me to become an activist for #10freedays and Our Daughters International.

 

Survivors that cannot be reunited with their families, become “our daughters” and are welcomed into the Safe Home where they receive intense trauma counseling, health assessments, care, and love.  Most feel a sense of HOPE for the first time in their lives. As a daughter, they discover their identity and realize they are worthy. During their 2-3 month stay in the Safe Home, the daughters are given skills training as part of their therapy. 

Meet Kamika in today’s video: https://vimeo.com/405896415/0ebca7739b. Last year alone, Kamika and her team welcomed 95 daughters into the Safe Home. 

🤜🤛 Please join me in this fight against trafficking by contributing to my fundraising goal through this link: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/OurDaughtersInternational/10freedays2020/WhitneyFields

✨ As an alternative way to donate, you can also shop for a cause 🛍️ my Stella & Dot fundraising link: www.stelladot.com/ts/nk9rj - and for every $50 sold, I'll donate $5 of my commission to the cause! 💖

I have styled my favorite Elegantees' Hudson tee in olive/ivory stripes with a few of my favorite pieces from our current Stella & Dot and Keep collection! Elegantees partners with ODI to provide employment to women in the Kingdom Hope Garment Factory in Nepal.

Elegantees' HUDSON v-neck stripe tee in Olive/Ivory, Filigree Chandelier Earrings, Heritage Coin Pendant Necklace, Renegade Stacking Bracelet

Elegantees' HUDSON v-neck stripe tee in Olive/Ivory, Mini Coin Pendant Necklace, Namesake Short Charm Necklace with charms: Keep "W" Initial, Pearl and Keep Rounded April Birthstones, Delicate Long Link Charm Necklace

#10FreeDays: Day 3 - Victims are now Survivors

Together, our #10freedays Activist Team Has Raised Enough Funds To Rescue 200 Girls!

As we enter Day 3 of our #10freedays campaign, I want to celebrate that 178 Activists combined have raised $60,000 in just two days. Our efforts are literally going to change the trajectory of these young women's lives forever.

Our Daughters International rescues trafficking victims at the border between Nepal and India. Potential trafficking victims are interviewed and counseled regarding their purpose of going to India and the dangers of being trafficked. Since 2009, over 130,000 girls have been interviewed, with over 11,000 actually rescued from trafficking. These victims have now become survivors! 

For over 8 years, Usha has been working at one of the border stations. She has rescued hundreds of girls. 

Meet her in today’s video:

Last year alone, over 20,000 girls were interviewed and 1,035 were rescued. I want to help rescue more and that’s why I joined #10freedays as an Activist. You can help victims become survivors by donating today.

🤜🤛 Please join me in this fight against trafficking by donating toward my fundraising goal through this link: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/OurDaughtersInternational/10freedays2020/WhitneyFields

✨ As an alternative way to donate, you can also shop for a cause 🛍️ my Stella & Dot fundraising link: www.stelladot.com/ts/nk9rj - and for every $50 sold, I'll donate $5 of my commission to the cause! 💖

I have styled my favorite Elegantees (the clothing company that partners with ODI to provide employment to women in the  Kingdom Hope Garment Factory in Nepal) tops with a few of my favorite pieces from our current Stella & Dot and Keep collection!

Elegantees' SITA twist front tee in Black, Delicate Pave Heart Studs, Diamond Covet "W" Necklace, Mini Coin Pendant Necklace, Heritage Coin Pendant Necklace, Renegade Stacking Bracelet

Elegantees' HUDSON v-neck stripe tee in Black/Ivory, Target shoes, Filigree Chandelier Earrings, Leopard Print Crossbody, Renegade Stacking Bracelet, Diamond Covet "W" Necklace, Delicate Long Link Charm Necklace, Namesake Short Charm Necklace with charms: Keep "W" Initial, Pearl and Keep Rounded April Birthstones

10 Free Days - Our Daughters International Campaign Against Human Trafficking

Thank you for joining me in rescuing and restoring girls in Nepal from human trafficking!

Most Americans are born into privilege. We have food to eat every day, education for all, and we can benefit from a generous government when we are in need. In some places, like Nepal, incomes are scarce, education is discouraged for girls especially, and the government has inadequate handouts. The chance of a Nepalese child getting sold is high. Our Daughters International (ODI) actively fights against this inequality and for unifying anti-trafficking efforts globally.

ODI's mission: We are about rescuing the powerless. We are about educating the vulnerable. We are about giving every woman hope and purpose.

#10freedays is an annual campaign to build awareness and support for ODI. It was started in 2019 by my friend Katie Martinez, founder of Elegantees, a New York City fashion brand that has partnered with ODI and the Kingdom Hope Garment Factory in Nepal since 2011. With a passion for rescuing and restoring girls from human trafficking through sustainable employment, the Kingdom Hope Garment Factory was formed and now employs over 20 girls rescued from trafficking in Nepal. While having dinner with her good friend Pinky, Katie expressed her desire to do even more with Elegantees. Katie and Pinky wanted to increase public awareness and work to eliminate human trafficking in Nepal, and the #10freedays campaign was the outcome! 

#10freedays is the coming together of 300+ activists, like me, fundraising $300 or more, to support the efforts to rescue and restore 300 women.

Our Daughters International is rescuing and restoring girls from human trafficking in Nepal. #10freedays focuses on creating awareness of the restoration pathway our daughters follow as they transform from trafficking victims to leaders for community change. Every dollar raised goes directly to ODI and the fight against human trafficking in Nepal.

Why Our Daughters International? Watch here.

Your support gives them hope and a purpose for their lives. After being restored, the women supported by ODI receive education, launch their own businesses, and become anti-trafficking advocates in their communities. 

As a woman who has run her own business for 10+ years, I understand the importance and value that this brings to one's sense of purpose, self-confidence, and financial security. Meeting my goal of $300 is so important because that amount will rescue a girl from trafficking and put her on the restoration pathway of becoming a leader for change in Nepal. 

There are two ways that you can participate in this campaign through me, as an activist. 

1. You can make a donation directly through my donation page. Any amount will help and every dollar counts toward the goal. 

2. You can shop for a cause through my Stella & Dot e-boutique here. For every $50.00 in sales received through this link, I'll donate $5.00 of my commission to the campaign from August 1-10. Additionally, I'll be raffling off a portion of the Referral Rewards earned and those who shop the link will be entered to win.

Also, follow along here or on my Instagram account - @whitneycf - as I'll be sharing more information about Our Daughters International and their mission every day, during the 10-day campaign period.

It's not too late to be a part of the campaign. Anyone can join; you don't need a certain number of followers, have an "influencer" status, or know all the ins-and-outs of social media. Help start the conversation.

Thank you so much for shopping for a cause or donating whatever you can... together we can make a difference.