From the 4th Nov to the 8th March, I am gonna be wearing the SAME pair of black jeans*- EVERYDAY for 125 days. Those that know me, know that I'm not really a jeans wearer. I like dresses. I like skirts. I like clothes. I like variety. So, wearing the same pair of jeans EVERYDAY from November to March will be a huge challenge for me. Add to that the two weddings I will be attending IN JEANS and you'll be beginning to see my challenge. I will want to tear them to pieces by the first week. I will be crying for dresses by December. By January I will hate the sight of them. By February I will cry when I see someone wearing a nice skirt. By March, i will probably need therapy.
So, why am I doing this?? I'm doing it as part of One25's "Give it up for One25" campaign. For the last two years, i have worked for a chirty called One25. It seeks to enable women who are abused and trapped in a life of street sex-work to break free from this abusive lifestyle and achieve their full potential and to make healthy life choices and foster positive relationships with their families and communities.
One25 also run Naomi House, where I have been working, which is a residential drugs treatment centre for Mum's and their babies. It's a safe haven, enabling the mums to change their lifestyle while equipping them with the skills they need to provide a stable, caring home and give their babies a better start in life. It's an amazing palce to work and it's a privelege to see hope entering the lives of people who thought they were at a dead end.
Anyway, I really wanted to do something to raise money for this cause- not just because it's where I work but because I really, really think the work One25 does is amazing and because, as a Christian and a feminist and a woman and well, a human being, I feel a duty to do what I can to break the cycles of abuse, violence and addiction that we see too often in out society. And so.....I'm giving up wearing anything other than the same pair of stupid jeans for MONTHS!
So, I ask you, dear friends.to give some money- sponser me and make this jean-wearing hell worthwhile...or maybe, consider giving up the price of a pair of jeans for One25.
Much love,
Lydia
p.s.
The website is here......http://www.one25.org.uk/
And here are some statistics about the women who access our services to get you thinking:
99% are addicted to one or more Class A drugs and/or alcohol
In 2008 we recorded 134 violent incidents reported to us by the women including domestic violence, rape and armed attacks
All suffer from chronic physical, mental and/or sexual health problems and half suffer from acute ill health*
66% are homeless *
62% were abused as children*
38% have been through fostering or children’s homes*
46% went through the criminal justice system in 2007
32% left school at 14 or younger *
Their age range is 17-49
65% have had children but 79% of those have had their children
removed from them
Only 1% of violent incidents against street based sex workers
results in a conviction**
* Jeal, N and Salisbury, C (2004) @Self reported experiences of health services among street based prostitutes’ British Medical Journal 65 pp 123
** (2001) ‘Violence against sex workers’ British medical Journal 332 pp524
* Okay, you got me, I have two pairs of the same jeans. it would be a bit of a hygeine issue to wear the same pair every day.
