We are very excited to announce that Glo is very actively collaborating with the Daughters Rising Organization, which works for the future for girls of the Karen ethnic group by preventing them from falling victim of sex trafficking.
Glo contributes by paying these girls their education through school and university, supporting them to a future with decent work.
Why did we fall in love with this solidarity project?
Ixone Elosegui, one of the founders of Glo, had the opportunity to experience this project first-hand when she was living in Thailand and became immediately fascinated with it.
"When I was living in Chiangmai (Northern Thailand), I had the opportunity to discover the Daughters Rising Foundation and this wonderful project. It fights to prevent sex trafficking for the girls through education and empowerment."
The Daughters Rising Foundation is located in northern Thailand--very close to the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar adjoin. Since it is a strategically important area, it houses a lot of conflict.
The Karen ethnic group has been heavily persecuted in Myanmar. The girls who benefit from these scholarships come from mountain villages or refugee camps, where most of the Karen population currently resides.
In developed countries, we take our right to education for granted because it has been the basic of life for as long as we can remember. But when you see that having access to a scholarship for school can save these girls from ending up being sold to brothels, you become more aware of how privileged we really are. In addition, many of these girls, after completing their university training (nurses, teachers, doctors ...), would return to their villages of origin as knowledgeable young women, aspiring to improve their living conditions.
An Elephant Sanctuary and a great school
One of the foundation's projects is a small resort in the Chiangmai jungle, integrated into an Elephant Sanctuary. A unique space located in the middle of nature where you can immerse yourself in the environment and truly appreciate the company of these wonderful animals. The elephants that are protected in this large sanctuary were rescued from circuses or from families who used them for heavy work on the Thai-Myanmar border.
During the visit to this paradise, one may enjoy a walk with the elephants through the jungle. It is not allowed to ride on them, and we will always be accompanied by their mahout--the person who knows and handles the elephant. But we can accompany them to the river, so that they can bathe, shower and refresh in a kind of natural spa, where mud is applied on their large bodies. Then we can feed them bananas, sugar cane and other vegetables. The route also involves another interesting activity, which is to prepare a natural medicine that’s used for elephants having stomach problems. It is prepared by crushing cane sugar, rice, banana leaves and tamarind in a giant molcajete.
All the women who work in the resort are girls of the Karen ethnic group, and the Foundation provides all necessary education for their development. They learn English and useful skills to pursue a career in tourism. Other teachings include Muay Thai, a self-defense discipline. There are also micro-credits available for those who want to start their own business.
This resort is not only a home, but also an ideal place to learn. And of course, girls who work there receive a fair salary.
More information:
https://web.facebook.com/DaughtersRising
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtku6kras-w
