Newsletter April 2015

As a part of this Spring newsletter, HopeNow has started a collection to enable you to share the joy of Spring with the men and women we work both with and for.

On the fundraising site, BetterNow, you can make a donation – and whether you can afford the equivalent of an Easter chocolate egg or you are able to give more, it is all welcome! All donations are used directly for HopeNow’s work with victims of human trafficking – either as support for our social activities and education of trafficked persons and their children, or as a contribution to our outreach work. You can read more about that in this newsletter, where Rikke shares her experiences doing outreach work on the streets of Vesterbro.

https://www.betternow.org/dk/stot-kampen-mod-menneskehandel . Please share it with family and friends, so that, together, we can create better conditions for trafficked persons in Denmark.

Interview with Rikke Gramkow, a volunteer outreach worker  March 2015

What difference do you think you are making for this target group?
“I think we make a big difference for people in our outreach work. These women have left their families, their culture and their country. Everything is unfamiliar here and it can be difficult to manage oneself when you do not know the language and the system. That is why it is important to show the women that we are here for them. When we tell them about what we can help them with and that we are talking from their perspective, it can give the women a greater feeling of safety in their present situations.”

What do you get from the work as a volunteer on the Outreach team?
“It is challenging and my boundaries has been moved. I have learned a lot about myself and about how to work with incredibly vulnerable people, which is very important for me and for my plans to be a social worker.”

Rikke ends the interview thoughtfully: “Even though I lived on Istedgade a month before I started on the team, I was not aware of what was going on. Outreach really opened my eyes to the realities of the street. It is a very taboo topic, which makes it so important to highlight because it is a huge problem. The work that organizations like HopeNow do is so important.”

If you have any interest in supporting Outreach with clothing, food or other items, you can contact us at: anne-mette.ostergaard@hopenow.dk

On April 14^th, the students from Fåborgegnens Efterskole will try to add some *light in the dark* for trafficked persons in Denmark by hosting a supporting event for, and with, HopeNow to raise awareness. We will hear from inspirational speakers such as Rosa Lund from the Red-Green Alliance and HopeNow’s founder Michelle Mildwater, who will put human trafficking on the agenda.

The event will start at 7:00p.m. and food will be made on a bonfire, and the guests will be able to take part in the American Lottery. There are some wonderful prizes available that have been generously donated by local businesses. Entertainment throughout the evening will consist of various musical performances and an enchanting visit by the wizard from Samso Island. The night will be rounded off by sending a hundred lanterns up into the sky as a symbol of light and hope in the darkness for trafficked men and women.

The event starts at 7:00p.m. on Tuesday, April 14th and you can participate for only 60 kr. You can make a difference in the fight against human trafficking. You can sign up at kontor@faae.dk

If you do not have the opportunity to come and you still want to support HopeNow’s efforts, donations can be made to: reg:1551 and account: 10350433. It is important to write Faae, name and possibly your firm on the donation. All donations will be mentioned at the event, at our webpage and on facebook.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

This fantastic event held on Thursday, February 19^th by Midfunen Continuation School, Southern Nærø Free Congregation and HopeNow’s volunteer lecturer, Elisabeth Berg, resulted in a profit of 15,000kr for HopeNow’s work for and with trafficked persons. We at HopeNow are extremely grateful for the amazing support.

The Funen based newspaper, Fyns Stifttidende wrote an article about the event that you can read here.

You still have the chance to become the happy owner of the sculpture “Handle with Care” that the artist, Astrid Søe, donated to the auction for HopeNow. The sculpture was shown in the last newsletter and if you are interested in the beautiful soapstone sculpture, you can contact Elisabeth Berg at elisab.berg@gmail.com.

Danish cellist Anja Lillemæhlum from the Danish National Academy of Music has been so kind to dedicate a series of concerts “The Quiet Voice” to HopeNow’s work against human trafficking. The first concert was held on March 18^th and she played a touching and beautiful concert with music ranging from Norwegian Folk to Baroque to new Classical, as well as featuring Lillemæhlum’s own music.

HopeNow was also at the concert talking about human trafficking and our work, and there was a small exhibition with pictures of some of the people that we have had contact with and helped. We are repeating this successful event on Wednesday, March 31^st, where the entrance fees will go directly to continuing the work in HopeNow.

You can read more about Anja Lillemæhlum here and listen to samples of her music here.