Christmas Fair

On the 9 Dec, we held a Christmas Fair in our very own office. We showcased the entire product range of our Social Enterprises. Light dinner was also served.

Shortly after, we had Lurata Lyon share her inspiring story with us through Skype. She was unable to be with us in person due to an unfortunate accident. However, we were very happy that she was keen to be with us via Skype.

Lurata is a survival of sex trafficking during war time at the height of the former Yugoslav conflict. She courageously shared her story and how she managed to overcome her struggles and emerged strong enough to tell her tale. She introduced her book, “ The Devil Couldn’t Break Me” which shares about her ordeal post her abduction by a sex trafficking gang. She also shared what kept her going during the worst of times -  family and her desire to help others facing the same situation.

The session ended with a short Q&A followed by an introduction to the team at AI. We also took the opportunity to thank the Angels who have so graciously supported us from the start.

With this event, we  were therefore able to bring home the point that buying consciously produced goods and supporting organizations that working towards sustainable livelihood and alleviation of poverty can eventually save lives.

One of our attendee, Jo, aptly shares her takeaway:
"For the first time, it helped me realize that women are actually the worst victims of poverty. For example, in third world countries, women often have less opportunity for education; and it's also more common for them to be the target of human trafficking.
What Lurata has gone through is beyond the imagination of most people who are carrying out a much more stable life. Something that touches me the most is how she managed to keep the hope and the desire to live in the seemingly hopeless situation. It was the love from her parents, and the love for her parents that kept her going. This is another great lesson that teaches us to believe in love. Everyone has a moment in our life wondering how to carry on or whether we should carry on, when we just can't see the light. And that's the time to take a step back and think about how lucky we are to have what we have, to be loved and to be able to love."