After some cool days in the middle of summer it was delightful to stand out in the sun and feel the warmth on my skin. I'm enjoying some holidays relaxing with my family and celebrating the Christmas and New Year season with food and laughter and games and movies. Another week of relaxing and having fun with family and friends and I'll head back to well paid work in the neighbouring state I currently live in.
A luxury really. A privilege that so many women don't share in. All month I've been participating in Dressember, wearing a dress every day to raise awareness and funds for the fight against slavery. Dressember is about standing up for the dignity and freedom of women in particular who, due to forced slavery, are deprived of so many freedoms that we take for granted. I've chosen to only wear dresses that are either bought from a second hand charity store or ethically sourced. The second hand option has been a bargain route to take scoring several nice dresses for $8, $5 or $3 and a little crafty tweaking. But I went a little further with this outfit.
The dress is from Nomads which have been supplying ethical, fair trade clothing since 1989. They are a UK company and I was able to find a dress I liked and have it arrive before Christmas. With the British pound and Australian dollar not on friendly terms, I splurged the $100 for this on-sale dress. However, I know the workers are fairly employed and treated well. I was glad to finally find an ethically sourced dress that I liked and suited my shape.
The shoes are my beloved Sseko sandals I bought at a local market stall. I loved the story behind them. Sseko hire women in Uganda giving them the ability to save money to then go on to university. It is very rare for these women to get this level of education without help and the stall operators also said these women get to hear inspiring talks and receive guidance for their move on to further study. Plus these sandals are awesome. You buy the base and then whatever ribbons you like and then the tying options are creatively endless. Sseko Designs also have a range of other goods but I can definitely vouch for their sandals. I've had them for about a year and a half and worn them loads and they are still going strong. You can buy your own in Australia through 747 Products.
The necklace I bought from Destiny Threads which is the shop associated with Destiny Rescue who focus on rescuing children from sex slavery. After rescue, they live in Destiny houses where they get the care and rehabilitation they need to grow into healthy adults. Part of that is training in an area that will enable them to provide for themselves and their family in a healthy, honourable way. While at the Destiny houses some participate in making jewellery to be sold to help with the funding of this process. The range ebbs and flows so it's worth taking a look sporadically.
Knowing that what I'm wearing has benefited these women in ways that I assume are normal and to be expected but are so powerful and life-changing and encouraging for them makes me feel good that I can help with that. It really is fairly simple to participate in ensuring people are treated fairly.
DRESSEMBER. It's bigger than a dress!
Please make a donation
to International Justice Mission or to A21
who both work to fight against modern day slavery that is still rife in our world.
