Friends, I’m excited to announce that I’m launching something new…and it’s nothing like I’ve ever done before. Before I tell you about it, I need to take a few steps back and tell you WHY I’m launching it.
It really all started when I was a child. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I always kid that the desire to become an entrepreneur myself is in my blood. I’ve wanted to start and own my own business ever since I can remember and started my first “business” when away at boarding school by identifying a need (toilet paper) and a desire (cupcakes). I found a way to meet that need for the other girls, turned that into my little business, and was able to make extra pocket money. Then, like I mentioned in my last blog, fast-forward to when I experienced the attempted carjacking, opening my eyes to the many forms of violence against women and children. As soon as I started digging into this issue, I learned more and more about the atrocities of human trafficking and that actual SLAVERY was still happening today, which blew my mind. This began my journey to becoming a voice for the voiceless, an advocate for saving one more person trapped in an unwanted or hopeless situation.
As my fight against human trafficking began, I also started educating myself on labor trafficking and child labor. To quote myself from my last blog, “So why is shopping ethically so important? Well, today more consumers are shopping fast fashion and homeware than ever before to keep up with rapidly changing “trends.” The cheap prices and overconsumption come at a high cost to others and create a negative impact on the environment, the supply chain, and the employees behind the products. The suppliers are operating beyond their capacity and as a result, employees face unfair wages and abusive labor practices. Taking it a step further, overconsumption perpetuates modern-day slavery and human trafficking as manufacturers and suppliers try to keep up with the consumer demand. Consumers are responsible for these side effects by partaking in the trends, but consumers also have the deb5be to make a difference by changing their shopping habits. YOU have the power to make an impact.” And I want to help you do just that.
Now that you have the background, I can get into WHAT I’m launching. Over the past year there have been a lot of brands or businesses that have reached out for a partnership or collaboration because they knew about my advocacy work and knew my stance on things like ethical sourcing and manufacturing, slave-free labor, and fair treatment of employees. They knew my heart and passion for providing great products while also using businesses to make a positive impact in the world. Working with and talking to these brands gave me a glimpse into how they do business with a deeper purpose in mind, and that purpose is to love people. This sparked an idea in me: What if I could find a way to champion these brands while inspiring others to live with a deeper purpose too? That’s when I decided to create Purposeful People. I hope that by putting a spotlight on purposeful people and brands, I can encourage more buyers to shop more consciously while also inspiring people and brands to choose to love and put people first too.
Each month, I’m going to partner with a new brand with one goal in mind – to be the bridge that helps you play a role in setting people free all around the world. I want to help educate you guys so that we, together, can start shopping consciously, resulting in a ripple effect of goodness. If we all can start choosing brands that DO good, we can SHOP our way to a world where every image-bearer of God can live in freedom.
And listen, I know it won’t always be easy. We live in a fast-paced world with all kinds of Ads in our feeds every day. But there are companies out there that create amazing, affordable products that are using their businesses to make a greater impact in the world, and by purchasing from companies like this, YOU can make a greater impact in the world too. We can begin to strengthen these brands and therefore, together we can increase their positive impact just by putting their products in your cart (Awesome, right?!).This is HUGE! So next time you decide to just follow that Instagram Ad to that purchase that product, check out the company first. Are they sourcing ethically, manufacturing ethically, making a greater impact? And I guarantee you if they aren’t, you can find similar products from brands who are, who allow you to come alongside them to create a ripple effect of positive change in the world. So, make sure to stay tuned on all of my platforms as I launch our FIRST partner of the month on September 1st! I cannot wait to share all these inspiring stories with you – hearing how these brands have directly transformed so many lives gives me CHILLS. And I hope they leave you inspired and motivated to make a difference, too.
A few stats on why shopping ethically sourced and manufactured brands is so important:
- It is estimated that 22,000 children as young as four work in mica mines in Jharkhand and Bihar, and due to the illegal and secretive nature of child labour, the exact numbers are unknown.
- Most children who work in mica mines earn fifty rupees a day, equivalent to around seventy cents. On the other hand, wholesalers can earn more than a thousand US dollars for a kilogram of good quality mica. That illustrates the scale of exploitation and horrendous human rights violations taking place in mica mines.
- Child labour rises to 160 million – first increase in two decades. The International Labour Organization and UNICEF warns 9 million additional children at risk as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
- At any given time in 2016, an estimated 40.3 million people are in modern slavery, including 24.9 million in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage.
- It means there are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world.
- 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children.
- Out of the 24.9 million people trapped in forced labour, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million persons in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million persons in forced labour imposed by state authorities.
- Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labour, accounting for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors
“If we don’t pick mica, how will we put food on the table?” an eleven-year-old girl who works at the mine every day said.
Sources:
Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage
* Note – these stats are here just to provide some context for how serious the issue is. These statistics may have changed or have inaccuracy.
