Day 11: justice

This symbol has been used for so many causes, and the cause can change the definition. But, despite the various causes or efforts, it's been used to promote; it has been a universal symbol of victory, peace and love. This is justice; overcoming injustice, having victory over the evil in this world. It's the fight for God's perfect peace and love to reign, as was originally intended. And here's the joy...there will be victory.

 

Day 10: sweatshops

This is a needle threader which is designed to help you pull the thread through the needle. It represents the injustice of sweatshops in that they have no help. Ironically enough this needle threader was made in China.

11 Facts About Sweatshops:

1. 85% of sweatshop workers are young women between the ages of 15-25.
2. Sweatshop workers earn as little as ½ to ¼ of what they need to provide for basic nutrition, shelter, energy, clothing, education and transportation.
3. In order to meet the basic nutritional needs of their families, sweatshop workers spend between 50% to 75% of their income on food alone.
4. Almost 75% of the retail price of a garment is pure profit for the manufacturer and retailer.
5. For less than 1% of Nike’s advertising budget, wages could be doubled for all workers making Nike university clothing.
6. While the garment industry is notorious for their involvement in the sweatshop industry, they aren’t the only culprits. Common sweatshop goods include tires, auto parts, shoes, toys, computer parts, electronics, and nearly every other kind of manufactured good.
7. The U.S. government often gives foreign aid to those same countries whose poverty is directly linked to exploitation by US businesses operating abroad.
8. A recent poll showed that 76% of Americans believe that workers should be protected just as corporate trademarks and products are in the global economy.
9. According to the Department of Labor, over 50% of U.S. garment factories are sweatshops. Many sweatshops are run in this country's apparel centers: California, New York, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta.
10. There are probably sweatshops in every country in the world - anywhere where there is a pool of desperate, exploitable workers. Logically, the poorer a country is, the more exploitable its people are. Labor violations are, therefore, especially widespread in third world countries.
11. Many Americans believe the clothing they purchase is manufactured in America. In fact, the majority of private label clothing is manufactured in at least 48 countries around the world, not in the U.S.

 

Day 9: blood diamonds

Diamonds made from broken homes.

 

"Diamonds are supposed to be symbols of love, commitment, and joyful new beginnings. But for many people in diamond-rich countries, these sparkling stones are more a curse than a blessing. Too often, the world’s diamond mines produce not only diamonds – but also civil wars, violence, human rights abuses, worker exploitation, environmental degradation, and unspeakable human suffering." (for more info check out http://www.brilliantearth.com/confict-diamond-trade/)

 

Day 8: coffee farmers

Coffee farmers?!.....Injustice?! Yes.

Watch this to understand why.

 

Day 7: slavery

Can I leave?

Will I get paid?

Am I safe here?

Will you let me go?

Is my family safe?

Don't I have rights?

Am I free?!

 

Slavery, simply put, is a whole lot "no's." There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today hearing, "no." from outside and within.

"NO, you won't escape."

"NO, you don't deserve better."

"NO, you'll never be free."

"NO one cares."

The last statement doesn't have to be true. Stand up and show you care. If you need help to know how to start, just ask.

 

Day 6: generosity

Generosity means that empty pockets are not an issue. Generosity looks past what you lack, looks to what you have, and gives it.

What do you have? What can you be generous with?

You may not be able to go half way across the world and fight injustice with your bare hands, but what do you have? What are you able to give?

Think about it.

Day 5: extreme poverty

When something doesn't go the way we expected or planned we say it "went down the drain." We say it because we feel that what we were doing was wasted or lost. But when you are living in extreme poverty, you live in a drain; it's as if you are in the drain and everything you are doing is fighting against the flow.

Global poverty facts: (http://onedayswages.org/about/what-extreme-global-poverty)

• $1 challenge. More than 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day and more than 2 billion live on less than $2 a day.
• Check your assumptions. Americans believe that their government spends 24 percent of the federal budget on aid to poor countries, but the actual figure is less than 1 percent.
• Daily disasters. HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria—all treatable diseases—claim the lives of over 8,000 people every day in Africa due to lack of access to health care.
• The water walk. Women in developing countries travel an average of almost four miles each day to collect water.
• The poor pay more. People living in the poorest slums can pay as much as ten times more for water than those in high-income areas of their own cities.
• Gender disparity. According to the U.N., the majority of people in poverty are women, who globally earn roughly half as much as men.
• Daily bread. Food prices have risen 83 percent since 2005, disproportionately affecting those in poverty who spend a higher percentage of their income on food.
• No school for you. In 2005, a conservative estimate stated that 72 million children around the world of elementary school age were not enrolled in school.
• The global wealth gap. The richest 20 percent of the world's population receives 75 percent of the world's income, while the poorest 40 percent receive only 5 percent of the world's income.