Rescue and educate "carpet kids" in South Asia

Dear GlobalGivers,

Every year around this time, we pause to remember one young boy whose story is so captivating that it launched the organization behind this project.

Iqbal’s childhood wasn’t just stolen. It was sold for the equivalent of just $12. At the age of four he was sold into bonded labor, forced to work 14 hours a day in Pakistan’s rug industry. While other children were making friends and learning to read, Iqbal worked six days a week. His hands bled, but his spirit never broke.

When he escaped at age 10, Iqbal made it his mission to save other "carpet kids" like him who were trapped slaving in the handmade rug industry. He traveled for two years sharing his story and lending his voice to the fight against child labor. Rare footage of him during this time is shared in the link in this report.

On April 16, Easter Sunday 1995, Iqbal was brutally murdered. His voice silenced by the carpet mafia he exposed.

Iqbal is gone, but his legacy lives on. It lives on in this project that you so generously support.

Thank you,

Rebecca

Links:

• Hear Iqbal's message, before his voice was silenced.

Dear GlobalGivers,

Two weeks ago, on Valentine's Day, our team in Nepal found 13-year-old Rajkumar toiling on a carpet loom. He was forced to work to pay off a debt owed by his brother. In other words, he was a victim of bonded labor. 

We want to share three photographs that capture critical moments of Rajkumar's rescue.

The first picture was taken shortly after he was found. His clothes were torn, and he was still afraid, but you can see the hint of a smile developing across his lips.

The second picture is Rajkumar being counseled by our veteran staffperson. Drona has been with GoodWeave for the better part of two decades, and is incredibly compassionate and adept when working with vulnerable children and communities.

The third picture was taken the next day, after Rajkumar had been brought to our transit center in Kathmandu. This is the moment he walked out in his brand new school uniform. Before that afternoon, Rajkumar had only been enrolled in school for three months of his 13 years.

These three moments - and the many more uplifting ones to follow for Rajkumar - are what this project is all about.  This is what your support makes possible.

From Rajkumar and all of us -- thank you.