21 Ways to get involved with the A21 Campaign (8/21): send stuff

So today marks the final day of my first whole month of blogging!- 1 down, 11 more to go! Despite some minor set backs such as not having internet for most of this month, my Mac not working for a while and my phone not working properly, I am proud to say that I have managed to keep going so far! I also just wanted to take this time to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been so encouraging and supportive thus far! I really appreciate you all reading these posts and very much appreciate your words of encouragement! I have been so very surprised and blessed to see that there have been just shy of 900 views of this blog over the past month! Thank you! Keep sharing the posts and raising awareness of the many worthy causes! Also, please feel free to suggest causes that you would like me to post about: ronell1984@gmail.com (please put ‘blog post suggestion’ as the subject).

I am going to continue with the A21 Campaign’s 21 ways to help. Today’s suggestion (8 of 21) from the A21 Campaign to fight against modern day slavery and human trafficking: send stuff!  

Who doesn’t love giving gifts to those in need? This is a great opportunity for you to round up some friends or purchase gifts to women in the A21 Campaign’s care. You can send anything from new clothes to hygiene packs, toothbrushes to hair care products to their facilities and each gift goes directly to women in need. To send items (or gift cards), click here.

Sending items to an A21 shelter is a great way to get your friends together to make a tangible difference in the lives of the women in our care.

Items Currently Needed:

•               Toiletries

•               Bath towels

•               Warm winter clothing (sizes xxs, xs, s, and medium)

•               Slippers and boots

•               Books

•               DVD's in Russian, Ukrainian, or Bulgarian

•               Craft items such as balls of wool and knitting needles

•               Board Games (Dominoes, UNO etc.)

•               Puzzles

•               Coloring Pencils

•               Small blankets

•               Socks

•               Thermal tops and leggings

•               Undergarments (small / medium)

•               Track suits

•               Gloves

•               Pajamas

•               Dish towels for kitchen

•               Pot holders (used for handling hot dishes)

•               Tupperware (all sizes)

•               Wooly hats

•               Make Up

•               Jewelry

•               Nail polish

•               Tweezers

•               Sanitary products

Important Information:

As of January 1st 2012 packages shipped to the Greece or Bulgaria are required to weigh less than 6.6 pounds (3kgs), must contain no liquids and have a declared value of under $20 or there will be a holding fee for their pick up. To keep in compliance with custom regulations, please include a proper return address.

Please be sure to use the regular postage services, as UPS and FEDEX do not ship to PO BOX addresses.

Items May Be Shipped To:

Ukraine	Bulgaria	Greece
The A21 Campaign Kyiv-1 PO BOX B267 Gryshkovska Tetiana Valeriivna Ukraine	The A21 Campaign C/- Diana Daskalova The A21 Campaign 5B, Triaditsa Str. fl. 2, office 226  Sofia 1000, Bulgaria	The A21 Campaign PO Box 10218 TK 54110 Thessaloniki, Greece

Thank you in advance for any contribution that you are able to make towards the amazing work that the A21 Campaign is doing! You are a part of providing a bright, new future for those affected by modern day slavery and human trafficking!

Blessings!

Ronell x

“Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.” {Deuteronomy 15v10}

21 Ways to get involved with the A21 Campaign (7/21): be a billboard!

Today’s suggestion (7 of 21) from the A21 Campaign to fight against modern day slavery and human trafficking: be a billboard!  

Not only can fashion express who you are, but it can also represent what you stand for! In the A21 Campaign’s online store, you can find fashionable attire and accessories to start conversations about human trafficking. Whether it’s a shirt or a wristband, wear it proudly and be ready to let others know why! (Warning: It’s a good idea to ‘get smart’ and read up on the A21 Campaign and what it represents before you become a billboard.)

I really think that wearing something that is thought provoking or a conversation starter is one of the best ways to get people interested, engaged and listening to what you have to say about the cause that you are fighting for. This is something that I try to do often. I do it for different causes, but my most recent purchase was one of the A21 Campaign’s ‘Key2Free’ key necklaces. It is a great conversation starter. The first day that I wore it to school, my little class of 4 and 5 year olds asked me why I was wearing it and what it meant. I was totally caught off guard, but it gave me an excellent opportunity to adapt what I know about the A21 Campaign and the work that they do to suit that particular audience!

Another reason that I really believe in physically being a billboard for a cause, is the fact that people are more interested in seeing what you do and measuring your actions than they are simply knowing what you believe in. Someone might understand and know that I am passionate about a cause like the A21 Campaign’s, but seeing me put my views ‘out there’ and actively taking a stand for what I believe… well, that is an entirely different story!

I want to challenge you to purchase something from he A21 Campaign’s online store and to wear it proudly as a sign of what you are fighting for and believe in. It both helps to raise awareness and contributes towards eliminating human trafficking. If you cannot afford to buy anything from the store, be creative and make your own clothing or accessories with keys on. It may not contribute to the cause financially, but it is still spreading awareness!

Blessings!

Ronell x

“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.”{Alexander Hamilton}

21 Ways to get involved with the A21 Campaign (6/21): intern with the A21 Campaign or volunteer with the Polaris Project!

Today’s suggestion (5 of 21) from the A21 Campaign to fight against modern day slavery and human trafficking: intern with the A21 Campaign or volunteer with the Polaris Project!  

Being an intern is a little like taking a meaningful gap year, with programs ranging from 1 to 12 months. A21 Interns are people who decide to be a part of the solution by contributing their time, experience, and talents towards the work of The A21 Campaign.

The A21 Internship Program is designed to give you the opportunity to be a part of the A21 team in the country of your choice. It is a chance to gain in-depth exposure to the projects, initiatives, and daily activities involved in combating human trafficking.

They have teams of people working hard in the fight against injustice all around the globe. You can join in and fight alongside teams in the following countries:

•               Kiev, Ukraine

•               Thessaloniki, Greece

•               Sofia, Bulgaria

•               California, United States

•               Sydney, Australia

For more information, visit The A21 Campaign’s internship page and apply today! There is also a very informative intern FAQ page: http://www.thea21campaign.org/intern-faq.php.

You can also find out about volunteering for the Polaris Project (USA) by visiting http://www.polarisproject.org/take-action/volunteer. In addition to taking action online and in your community to end human trafficking, Polaris Project has opportunities for you to work directly with them as a volunteer in their Newark, NJ or Washington, D.C. offices. To find out about opportunities in other states, please click here.

Please consider this seriously, carefully and most of all prayerfully!

Blessings!

Ronell x

“I take pleasure in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart” {Psalm 40v8}

21 Ways to get involved with the A21 Campaign (5/21): get smart!

Today’s suggestion (5 of 21) from the A21 Campaign to fight against modern day slavery and human trafficking: get smart!  (http://www.thea21campaign.org/21-ways-to-help.php&lang=en).

I don’t mean extra studying as such, or improving your IQ, I mean become well versed in the topic at hand: human trafficking and modern day slavery. If you want to make a difference and fight for a cause, you need to know the facts and be able to have in depth discussions. Thankfully there are many ways for you to learn and uncover the ills of modern-day slavery. The A21 Campaign is making this easy for us by listing some of their favorite resources! Take some time to look up the resources below and get informed.

Recommended Website Resources:

•               The Problem

•               News Room

•               Download the United Nations toolkit to combat trafficking

Recommended Reading Material:

•               The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade - by Victor Malarek

•               Terrify No More: Young Girls Held Captive and the Daring Undercover Operation to Win Their Freedom - by Gary A. Haugen and Gregg Hunter

•               Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade--and How We Can Fight It - by David Batstone.

•               The Road of Lost Innocence - by Somaly Mam

•               Ending Slavery - by Kevin Bales

Recommended movies (for mature audiences only):

•               Nefarious (2011)

•               Human Trafficking (2005)

•               The Jammed (2007)

•               Trade (2007)

•               Taken (2008)

•               Lilya 4-Ever (2002)

The Polaris Project also has a lot of information about human trafficking, so keep reading on there: http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview.

The more you know about this subject, the more confident and credible you will be in raising awareness about it!

Blessings!

Ronell x

“Knowledge is power” {Sir Francis Bacon}

21 Ways to get involved with the A21 Campaign (4/21): get social

OK, so I’m finally getting back on track with the A21 Campaign’s ’21 ways to get involved’ series! Today’s suggestion (4 of 21) from the A21 Campaign to fight against modern day slavery and human trafficking: get social!

That’s right, the A21 Campaign is asking us to be social with social media. Whether through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Causes, you can find ways to connect with the A21 Campaign for updated information, as well as quickly share information with friends, family, or people you just met. It’s the easiest way spread the word, as well as to stay connected to freedom fighters all over the globe.

Sometimes it can be daunting to share things via social media, as you are revealing something personal about yourself- something you believe in- but share you must! It is the only way for awareness to be raised! People share about what they are passionate about: be it football, or fashion, or your children- everyone has something that they feel passionately enough about to risk looking silly for! So why not make your ‘thing’ God and the causes that He puts a passion in your heart for?

So today, I challenge you to make a commitment- no matter how small- to share a cause that you believe in and feel passionate about via social media. You can choose one cause and share it via one of your social portals, or maybe you’ll be brave enough to share it through all of them..? Or better yet, why not set yourself a challenge to post one cause/way to promote the cause of your choice every day for a week, a month, or maybe even a year..?

And be encouraged! Many of the people that you are connected to on the social media sites of your choice are either like-minded, care about you, or will care about a worthy cause! Either way, most of them should be interested in what you have to say! So post away and see- you will be pleasantly surprised.

Blessings!

Ronell x

“The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.” {Abraham Lincoln}

Wear it Pink Today! (26th October)

Today’s post is about an initiative by the Breast Cancer Campaign, called Wear it Pink. I am obviously a fan, not only because it is about extreme pinkness, but also because it is supporting such an amazing cause! Fighting for cancer research is a cause that is close to my heart as it has impacted many members of my own family and my friends and their families.

This month, my aunt was featured in a South African magazine (Sarie), who chose to tell her inspirational story of her fight against breast cancer. Her story is absolutely inspirational! It is in Afrikaans, so I can’t really share it on here, but if anyone would particularly like to read it, leave me a request in the comment box at the bottom of this page.

The information below is from the official site: http://www.wearitpink.co.uk/

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Breast Cancer Campaign is a unique community of scientists, supporters and people touched by breast cancer. 

wear it pink is part of our focus on Pink Science – a pioneering approach to breast cancer research that funds projects with the greatest potential to save and improve lives, and ultimately find a cure.

The Breast Cancer Campaign Tissue Bank is an example of this innovative approach. The UK’s first national breast cancer tissue bank is a unique collaboration with four leading research institutions to create a vital resource of breast cancer tissue for researchers across the UK and Ireland. There is currently no other large source of breast tissue available to scientists and doctors, like this one, anywhere in the world.

Today, you are joining supporters in offices, schools, universities and homes across the UK in putting on your pink to raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign. Thank you for being a superhero and joining in!

For a last minute way to raise a bit more money today and help us reach our 10 year £25 million target, why not download our fun sweepstake game for your friends and colleagues to take part in?

If you’ve forgotten to wear pink, but don’t want to miss out on the fun – don’t worry! You can simply download and print off our Pink Masks, Pink Quiz and Gift Aid form so you can join in instantly. You can also ‘superhero yourself' and share your photo on Facebook for all your friends to see, with our easy to use online tool!

If you can’t wear it pink today and would just like to make a donation, thank you - you can do so by simply clicking here. Or you can organise a big night in to raise money with your friends. It’s a simple idea: invite your friends over for a fun, pink-filled evening at home and ask each guest to make a £5 donation (http://www.wearitpink.co.uk/bignightin).

Thank you for being a superhero in the fight against breast cancer - have an amazing day from all of us at Breast Cancer Campaign.

A Big Pink P.S.

Don't forget to add your photos to Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Flickr and facebook. Where you can make sure you tag them with @BCCampaign and #wearitpink and we'll be adding them to our wonderful pink Pinterest board throughout the day! (Check out how many are already up on Instagram here!)

Thank you to everyone who is throwing on something pink today to help us raise money to research the cure for breast cancer.

You are all part of the movement that will see an end to the disease. You can still register for wear it pink now (http://registration.wearitpink.co.uk/register/register.aspx).

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Please help to make a much-needed difference to this very worthy cause!

Blessings!

Ronell x

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” {Psalm 103:2-5}