Story
On November 23rd my teammates and I from Island School will be joining hundreds of Hong Kong students to run a non-stop relay endurance race around the Peak trail over the course of 24 hours! Each of us will cover upwards of 25 km and we have been training heavily to improve our physical capabilities. This is all for the most worthy of causes - ending the horrific institution of slavery and human trafficking that is still present all around us often in the most apparently innocent situations.
We're fundraising for Freedom Matters, a UK-based registered charity that is freeing trafficked Nepalese children and young people from slavery, abuse and exploitation. Beyond rescue Freedom Matters also provides rehabilitation, education, and vocational training for trafficking survivors who have no family to return to. An example of this is Sunita who was freed from slavery inside an Indian circus in 2004 but who is now being supported through Kathmandu Law School, funded entirely by RTST. Or Sita, freed from an Indian circus in 2009, who has been trained into employment as a mosaic artist.
Just now Freedom Matters urgently needs funds to tackle a new and hitherto largely unreported issue: the internal trafficking of Nepalese children into “orphanages” in Kathmandu valley. This is a massive challenge given the scale of the problem with an estimated 11,000 children in institutional care in Nepal and the need to support children and families after rescue. Meeting the financial needs for this new programme is what this year’s Race is all about.