12 year old girl for USD50?

In 3 days time, I will be running the full marathon in Singapore for the first time. It started as a curiosity - Will I survive it? What is the mental state during such physical duress?

But this curiosity has changed to a commitment.

I am now running to raise funds for Hagar, a registered charity organization that saves women and children who are victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse.

Why am I doing this? 6 weeks ago, I was gripped by a newspaper report about a 12 year old girl in Haiti offered for USD50 to do domestic work and be a sex slave. My eldest, Pete, is nearly 12. 12 yrs ago I ran the half marathon and wanted to train for the full one, but I got pregnant with Pete. Fast forward, 12 yrs later I am finally attempting the full marathon on coming 4 Dec, in hope that our little contribution can alleviate or prevent the suffering of the 12 yr old girl and others like her.

I showed the newspaper article to my children, Pete, Finn and Sophie. They exclaimed wide-eyed with disbelief, "Really? Why did her parents allow that?" I explained they were poor and sold their children with the hope of giving them a better life. Finn, my 9 year old, said, "it's so unfair."

As adults, we know that life is unfair. Our children have toys for Christmas and annual holidays, whilst others like the 12 year old girl are abused and tortured. In all honesty, I read articles of tragedies around the world with some degree of detachment and almost acceptance that life is unfair, and go on with my life as usual.

This detachment is perhaps the enemy of compassion towards the larger community.

We see our lives in our small circle, separate from the larger community, rather than as part of our collective humanity. Our individual wholeness is intertwined with the larger wholeness.

After the conversation with my children, I went for my routine jog, wondering what I can do. That's when the marathon and fundraising came together. I was excited that this seemed like an viable idea and apprehensive at the same time. It's the first time I am raising money. Asking for money is challenging. I realise I actually have to tell lots of people about this, otherwise nothing moves. Usually a private person, I was shy about putting this on social media. A good friend, Andrea Edwards, the Digital Conversationalist, encouraged me along.

With the marathon a few days away, I am wondering if I can complete 42 km. On one hand, enthusiasts say, "of course you can, everyone can!" Not having done it before, I am unsure, my knees hurt from the months of training and my legs feel heavy. But now this fundraising effort, I must complete it, even if it means crawling or rolling to the finish line!

I am committed to this cause and will finish the marathon. Will you support?

Me, Hagar and the women and children recovering from the abuse and exploitation? Any amount, $10, $50, $100, $500 etc. are welcome. 100% of the funds will go to Hagar. This campaign ends on 9 Dec 2016 midnight. Pls click on this link if you want to donate.

Friends, thank you so much for your kind consideration. Will be grateful if you share this too!

Here's Hagar's website if you want to check it out: https://hagar.org.sg/. I have done some research too.

• Do I know know Hagar puts the money to good use? Answer: 3466 counselling sessions delivered in Afghanistan (A), Cambodia (C), Vietnam (V) and Singapore (S). 59 clients accessed legal aid in C, A and S. 901 men, women and youths accessed education and economic empowerment services across A, C, V and S. 306 women and children provided safe accomodation in A, C and V.
• How do I know know that they are not one of those well funded charitable organizations with lots of money? Answer: Based on their 2015 audited report on Hagar's website, their net asset is $51,516 in 2015 and $5,278 in 2014.
• How do I know the impact of their work is genuine? They are registered charity under Singapore Charity Act. They have a board of directors. Lots of stories on their website too.
• How do I know if the funds are not misused? Answer: Based on annual report, 78% of revenue is spent on programme services, 16% on marketing and 6% on management and general. Salaries and CPF for the entire organization is $70,333 in 2015.

Hope I have done some due diligence to address any concerns.

Donate now. Pls share this if you identify with this cause! Thank you!

#Hagar, #humantrafficking, #standardcharteredrun