May 2016
In This Issue: Making A Difference Hanady Azar Abboud
Reid Bergquist
Making A Difference
Right To Be Free is grateful to our donors who make our work to save the lives of trafficked children possible. Their support is truly a lifeline to these children. We are delighted to feature two individuals who have put their compassion into action by raising awareness of RTBF and funds to support our rescue efforts.
Hanady Azar Abboud
When Hanady heard about RTBF's work to combat child trafficking and rescue vulnerable victims, she felt compelled to do something. Hanady said "As a wife of an expat, I have lived in countries where I have seen a lot of poverty and underprivileged kids on the streets who were abused and not given the basic human rights that every child should have, such as a home, education, parents, and sometimes even food and water. I always felt sorry for them and hoped that they would get some help.
After living several years in Ghana, I decided that it's time for me to do something about this sad reality and try to make a difference. Since art and creativity have always been my passion, I have learnt some new skills to empower my jewelry making hobby and I'm using it for a good cause. I have created Africharms, a project that promotes glamorous necklaces to fundraise for various non-profit organizations.
With the support of my friends Nancy Bazzari and Martine Denecque, we were able to make a large collection of necklaces. With the generosity of Lana Ghandour and Moutia Murib, who offered their Mint Coffee Shop as the venue to promote our creations, we were able to raise 7,800 Ghana Cedis ($2,000), which was donated to Right To Be Free.
I hope this will encourage others to reach out and support humanitarian efforts. As Ronald Reagan once said "We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."
Moutia, Hanady, Lana, and Martine
Martine, Hanady and Nancy display their jewelry at the Mint Coffee Shop.
Necklaces made by Hanady, Nancy and Martine to support Right To Be Free.
Moutia, Lana, Nancy, Hanady and Martine present a check to Eric Peasah, along with two former rescued children, Christian and his sister Faith.
Reid Bergquist
As Reid's 12th birthday was approaching, he came up with a great idea for his party. He had learned about child trafficking and RTBF's work to save children from his mother, Mary Strategos, who had also taught him the importance of sharing his blessings and giving back. Reid decided to raise awareness of child trafficking with his peers and asked them to consider making a donation to RTBF in lieu of birthday gifts.
Reid said "I realized what was happening, so I wanted to have my friends and I work with this wonderful charity to try and help stop it. I hope others will decide to help too so that everyone can be free." Reid and his friends generously donated to RTBF to support the rescue of more enslaved children.
With your help, we can save more trafficked children who are struggling to survive and dreaming of the day they will be set free. We hope to rescue Tano, who is 13 years old, but due to severe malnutrition, is quite small for his age.
Eric Peasah speaks to Tano during a recent trip to Lake Volta. He tearfully talks about the hard labor he is forced to do and how much he wants to be free.
All operating costs are funded internally, so 100% of every donation directly supports trafficked children.
RTBF is grateful to Hanady and Reid for their compassionate support and for being a voice for trafficked children. We are honored to partner with them and applaud their efforts to make a real difference in the world. They share our belief that... Every child has the Right To Be Free.
You can support RTBF when you shop online. Amazon’s Smile Foundation will donate .05% of your purchases to Right To Be Free. Your account is exactly the same on Amazon and AmazonSmile and your shopping activity remains private. Click AmazonSmile's link to shop for the benefit of RTBF and in the future, shop at Smileamazon.com (instead of Amazon.com) and your Amazon purchases will help transform a child’s life! It's quick and easy!
