Vietnam, where the seeds of for Dignity were planted

For Dignity Why?

 

And so it begins, my first written”blog”. I must admit the unfamiliarity of such an activity has drawn out my innate procrastination skills. But eventually I have found myself sitting in front of the computer typing these words.

It is not that I am unfamiliar with taking on new things, or the challenges and rewards that come with embracing them. In fact I have quite a bit of experience with the process. For example the year my husband and I packed up our home in Melbourne and took our two children, at the tender ages of 3 and 6, over to Vietnam to live. That change was packed full of adventure! Over eight years we enjoyed the amazing food, exotic places with lush green rice fields and managed to forge wonderful friendships with the locals and expats. 

Then there was the more recent choice to step completely away from my medical training and start this social enterprise. After the experience of living outside of Australia for that length of time, I have been deeply changed. I could not return to my previous “status quo”. For Dignity was created in the midst of my wrestle between living a totally different life in a developing country and the well resourced and privileged life most Australian’s know, of which I am a part of again.

A vision to empower Australians to be part of the solution to some of the humungous global issues seems a little overstated. Rather our vision here at for Dignity is to help every Australian realise that we all have a power that impacts others. We use on a daily basis; buying stuff, or in more sophisticated language; consumerism.  So let us use this capacity to empower movements that are in some way tackling humungous global issues…well that is achievable by you and me!

And so that is the beginning of for Dignity’s story. “The little shop helping stop human trafficking”. And so part of the “why” has been stated. The “how” will be told in my next blog. As a prelude to it I invite you to watch Eden’s story, a wonderful snippet from just one of the producers we support by selling their beautiful jewellery. It should inspire you!