11 years of freedom.

Mid-September, Freeset celebrated its eleventh birthday, which is truly an amazing thing - for 11 years, this business has been working for the freedom of women who have been trafficked, exploited, and sold into the sex trade.

11 years of community.

11 years of providing women with a choice.

11 years of returning dignity to those who have been abused.

11 years of working towards breaking the cycle of the roles passing from grandmother, to mother, to daughter.

11 years of a reason to smile.

Daily I remind myself just how lucky I am, that I have been given this opportunity to work alongside the most incredible people, both the women Freeset hires, and the close-knit group of international staff.

To be around a group of people who have been called from the corners of the earth by God, who have sacrificed years of their time, money, and skills, is really quite inspirational.

Not only am I blessed to be here, but when I have lived in an environment that is an assault to the senses, I really begin to be thankful for the privileges I have back home in New Zealand... I could list the differences in the quality of life back home in comparison to here, but each is on a completely separate scale. It is easier to just acknowledge these differences, and understand that the society of the life we all live today is the way it is, and there is no immediate 'fix'... which is why we are working towards freedom, for a greater quality and equality of life, and for His love to enter the homes of the oppressed and voiceless.

This is why Freeset is still 11 years young, and will continue to fight for the freedom of the women our hearts have been captured by.

Here are some photos of the celebrations that took place at Freeset - colours, sarees, music, dancing, and plenty of food! Initially the music + dancing side of things wasn't going to happen as we felt that it might be too soon after Shanti's sudden death (two weeks), but in the end it was decided that the women needed something to enjoy and be happy about - a chance to celebrate their freedom.

x

I am thankful.

Anna and I had Cafe Coffee Day for an early morning treat! Soooo good.

Getting into my creative side...

Finally mopped and swept the floor!

I love the colours in this apartment. They are washed out, but so beautiful at the same time.

This week has been intense. I am quite tired, and so I have been taking this Sunday morning to take a few hours of alone-time by drawing, embroidering, and listening to music. Feeling refreshed!

Justin + I were taken out on Friday night to do a couple of house-visits after work, so we could have some insight to how some of the women at FS live... the first lady lives on the roof of one building in tiny room with her husband, they have no fan, share a single bed, and apparently in the heat of summer it is nearly unbearable. She made us some cha (tea), and gave us each a biscuit. I really respect how generous they are when they live so simply. It is actually quite inspiring, and I want to live with as few possessions as I need, and no more.

Afterwards we sat in one of the alley-ways with one woman who used to work for FS, and they had helped fund surgery to remove a cataract from each eye so she could see again. She had such a sweet spirit. Her daughter came over with her baby boy (who was super gorgeous), and John held him for awhile - he was super bouncy and excited! I then got to hold him, and of course I was the one to get peed on... haha. But his cute cheeks totally made it worth it.

We walked to the last woman's house, and as we did this, we passed a few women who were sitting outside against the walls... it took me a moment to realise the reason for this. They were some of the women who have been trafficked/forced into prostitution. One of them smiled at me, and it was a heart-warming moment. Sometimes it feels like these women are so different to me, but in that moment it made my heart melt at the realisation that they are all human, they all have a past, and a story. I don't want to sound naive in that realisation, but I have had no way to relate to them, but with that smile I could.

At the last woman's house, we sat on the roof of the building, drinking cha and eating biscuits, and later rosogolla - a bengali sweet. We heard her heart to see 10,000 women freed, and we also listened to how she is sad these days, because her husband died a few years back from a stroke. It made my heart break, and I sat back, stared at the few stars we could see, and held back the tears.

My life in NZ seems so far away right now, and some of the things I have worried about or been concerned about are so pointless in comparison to some of the things the women go through here.

But I am thankful for my life in NZ; I have loving family and friends, a roof over my head that I know will stay up through the rain, and an education. I am privileged to have been brought up in the way I have - and now I am seeing this so much more vividly than ever before.

x

New blog name!

I have finally settled on a new title for my blog, as my previous one seemed a bit too cutesy for what it is now becoming - my travel blog!

So I decided on 'Chaos + Colour', as this is the way that Kolkata was described in The Rough Guide To India, and I believe that it will probably live up to this standard when I arrive there and experience this for myself.

Here are a few examples of this 'chaotic colour':

Above images sourced from here.

So excited.

x