By Andrea Powell | Executive Director, FAIR Girls
On May 4th, 45 girls in FAIR Girls' Serbian JewelGirls program received their very own bikes as part of a new partnership with 88Bikes.
You may be thinking, FAIR Girls has bikes? Yes, we do! These bikes will open up the city of Belgrade to each young girl survivor in the Serbian JewelGirls program to give her new and brighter opportunities.
JewelGirls was inspired by Vida, a teenage girl living in an abandoned house with her sisters in downtown Belgrade.
Despite being sold by her mother, controlled by a pimp, and living in complete destitution, Vida smiled at me when I gave her a necklace I’d made. Nothing could break this girl’s spirit.
JewelGirls is about economic empowerment, therapy, and building self-esteem. It’s also about giving girls whose lives have been torn apart in the world of modern day slavery the simple gift of joy.
Founded on their core principle of “joy-based philanthropy”, 88Bikes has given more than 3000 bikes to girl survivors of human trafficking all over the world. As we walked into the JewelGirls workshop with 88Bikes founder, “Mr. Dan”, the girls were buzzing with excitement for their first bikes.
Snezana said she would ride her bike to work each day, while Sabina was thrilled that she would now have a safer and faster way to get from her remote Roma settlement to school. We even dreamed about launching a local catering business delivering homemade organic baked goods!
The moment the girls received their bikes, they dangled their handmade jewelry over the handles and bells and rode along the Ada River that flows through Belgrade. Thank you to 88Bikes for this moment of joy and joining FAIR Girls’ efforts to empower girl survivors in Serbia.
FAIR Girls' JewelGirls program in Serbia is entirely supported by individual donors just like you. Thank you for your continued support which enables us to serve these amazing young survivors in Serbia and around the world.
In Joy & Empowerment,
Andrea Powell
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