Day 8&9 - act as if what you do makes a difference....

... It does.

~

8.4 million children are denied an education because they are forced to work as slaves.

Children work 16-20 hour days in conditions that are not even fit for bacteria. Their days consist of beatings and working. In some cases, they are forced to work, live, go to the toilet, eat and live their entire lives in a room no bigger than 2metres x 2metres. In other cases, they work with a tennis ball wedged under their chin. If this tennis ball falls, it is an indication they are not working hard enough and they are beaten. They are hunched over for over 16 hours a day like this. Or they are harvesting coco on the Ivory Coast, using dangerous materials and working while they should be in school.

How unfair is that.

I remember going on the End Child Slavery camp a few years ago, and learning about all these different cases and being appalled as every story became worse and worse. And these are children. Children that should be at school, playing sport and enjoying the best days of their life. Instead they have their childhood ripped forcefully away from them and are forced to work so that companies can have cheap labour and sell products to us. The consumerist, capitalist society.

I remember that camp completely changed my life. I stopped eating chocolate and coffee unless it was fairtrade and I still do that. I also completely boycotted Nestle. Nestle is one brand that I absolutely cannot stand. Although they are now making steps to improve, the things they have done, in several developing countries, is so inhumane. They have been sued countless times, and try and maintain that slavery is not against human rights.

In the 2009 Ethical Shopping Guide, it states:

Nestle

The world's largest food company, Nestle proudly proclaims "good food, good life". Nestle has been the target of strong international criticism for its aggressive marketing of infant formula in developing countries with scarce drinking water, leading to infant deaths (despite a 10-year ban by the World Health Organization).

Other Criticisms: As one of the top four global water bottling companies, for contributing to the problem of plastic waste and expropriating water that should remain a shared resource. As one of the world's largest chocolate producers, for contributing to child and forced labour problems in cocoa-growing nations.

I came home after the camp completely emotionally drained. I broke down and couldn't stop thinking: "How can people do this?"

I still wonder this. How can people consciously deny other people of their basic human rights, how can they beat a child because the child cannot cope with working more than even an adult should - how can they treat people like this and continue to do it.

I love the fact that we went on amazing roadtrip. But I wish we didn't have to. I wish the government could recognize this unfairness themselves and willingly want to make a difference.

I wish we didn't have to write songs and try and convince the world to help. Why should we have to? Why can't people just care because that is what is in our basic morals? Why can't people just give back a little bit to the world?

It is only fair that we do. It is just by chance we were born into such a lucky society. We should do what is fair by everyone - even the littlest action can make a huge difference.

Because if we are not part of the solution, then we are definitely part of the cause. To understand and to know what is going on, and to not do anything about it - that is just as bad as causing it. Buy fairtrade, sponsor a child, write a letter to a chocolate company - anything and everything helps.

And who is responsible for this appalling child slavery? Everyone.

~ Mary Harris Jones

Sorry for the long absence from blogging - I have just been super busy.

After going back to work after so long, it has been such a shock. I never really truly experienced the whole "why are people so ignorant to what is going on" feeling after the roadtrip until I went back to work. At uni all my friends are aware of what I have been doing and how I am now doing dollar25, but at work it was like entering a world completely different to mine. People are stressed over the littlest things and it is all about making money, money, money. It was a shock. A huge shock. I couldn't even explain what I have been doing.

dollar25 wise, on wednesday and thursday I have to confess - I cheated a little, tiny bit. In regards to what is happening with this, check above.....

And remember that every action, big or little, on a personal level or on a global level makes a difference.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

~Anne Frank