IJM CEO Gary Haugen with Bloom's Ruth and Murray Larwill

In July, Bloom was honoured with a visit by Gary Haugen, Founder and CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM is the organisation that works with the police to conduct investigations, brothel raids & rescues the girls, and in fact IJM field workers were involved in the rescue of many of our students.

IJM operates in many countries around the world and Gary is one BUSY guy, so it was truly an honour for Bloom that he made time to visit. One of the girls that IJM had rescued presented Gary with a sugar figurine of himself (complete with glasses & spikey hair!) that she had made.  He was totally chuffed!

Gary Haugen receiving his sugar double

Gary also brought along some of the guys who work in the field (doing the undercover/rescue work in Cambodia). The girls knew better than anyone  the risks and dangers that these men had faced to rescue them, and as you can imagine, it was a sweetly emotional afternoon…

Bloom students' sugar version of Gary Haugen

We showed the guys through our photo gallery & there were quite a few happy tears as the guys recognised girls they had rescued from the most appalling situations  - and who were now standing proudly next to their 5 tier cakes and beaming smiles that could light a hundred rooms.

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Against Child Trafficking’s Champion the Cause event is coming up this week. Head over to Brisbane Powerhouse this Thursday and be a part of it.

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It will be a fun-filled night with live music featuring four up and coming Australian bands, and showcase several organisations at the forefront of child trafficking, including Bloom.

Come along to hear live music, buy handmade crafts from children affected by child slavery, and get informed to find out out what’s going on across the globe.

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Sue writes:

If you are willing to invest an hour or so gaining a personal perspective on what it is to be a child victim of sex trafficking, then I would suggest “SOLD” by Patricia McCormick which I have just finished. It is a ‘first hand’ account of  a young Nepalese girl sold into a brothel. It is a work of fiction, but based on a composite of  real stories.

Beautifully written, this novella successfully  treads the line between mercifully selective and brutally graphic; it would suit readership from  mid-teens onwards.

At the end of the book, one can’t fail to be moved to action – it personalizes the statistics. There is also a good understanding gained of how the brothel owners gain compliance from the girls, how their spirits can become broken by the experience itself, and how the lies they are told can actually prevent them from being rescued.

This book does have a ‘hopeful’ outcome but the reader is left in no doubt of the immensity and scale of the tragedy of this industry.

Patricial McCormick, the author, said of the book in a previous interview:

I spent a month in India and Nepal tracing Lakshmi’s steps… and interviewed women in the red-light district, girls who had been rescued.

I felt inadequate to the task of doing justice to the stories the women had entrusted to me. But when I thought about the young girls… I felt urgency- urgency that their experiences be known and understood by the outside world. And I began to write.

Educate yourself then work to raise awareness among your friends and family members, your church or school. Invite a speaker, and raise or donate money. The cost of living in countries where trafficking takes place is very low; [your donation] could go a long way toward providing medicine, toys or books for the children of the red-light district, or could contribute to the work of organizations that stop trafficking and provide safety for victims.

As Eli Weisel said, “Let us remember: what hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander.”

Sold is available from the Book Depository (free shipping worldwide) for $9.27, or from any good book retailer.

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To hear them speak live, come and join us at Gateway Baptist Church this Sunday 20th June and get the inside story on Bloom.

When: 9am and 6pm

Where: Gateway Baptist Church, 1052 Mt Gravatt-Capalaba Road
Mackenzie, Queensland, 4156

For more information, call the church office on (07) 3291 5900

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Date: Saturday, 12 June 2010
Time: 2:00 - 4:00pm
Address: 1 Jones Road, Birkdale QLD

Admission is $15 donation which includes devonshire tea, 4 x tickets into door prize and unlimited shopping at stalls such as David Jones Handbags, Tupperware, The Body Shop at Home, Gekho Jewellery, ENJO, Chocoholics Anonymous, childrens clothing and much more!

****NEWS FLASH*****

Would you like the opportunity to have Gen Latham as seen on My Kitchen Rules come to your house and cook you and your friends afternoon tea? Well come and join the auction for this once in a lifetime opportunity only at Shop for Bloom! Her famous friands will go down a treat! All for a great cause!

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If you’re a fan of local design, you’ll be interested in heading to Jazz Up Your Nest, exclusively showcasing art, jewellery and wearables created by artists from the Southern Downs region between 17-24 July. 10% of all sales from the gallery will be contributed towards three different charities, of which Bloom is one. So come along and support local artists and Bloom!

Jazz Up Your Nest is situated at Fledge Design Studio, in the main street of Warwick. This exhibition takes place during chilly Warwick’s annual Jumpers & Jazz in July Festival, where the trees are covered in quirky textiles and jazz music fills the air. For more details of what is happening during the festival, see www.jumpersandjazz.com

Where: Fledge Design Studio, 92b Palmerin St Warwick QLD

When: 10am-5pm, 17-24 July 2010

Contact: 07 4661 9838

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MARCH

The Bloom Advocacy Program was launched simultaneously across Sydney and Brisbane. Our awesome group of advocates are now involved in spreading awareness about Bloom amongst their family and friends. To join the program, contact hello@bloomasia.org.

APRIL

Bloom Training Centre was honoured with a visit by the Australian Ambassador in Phnom Penh. The Ambassador was highly impressed with the work of the girls and commended the work of Bloom.

MAY

Our newest group of graduates joined the team at Bloom Cakes and Bloom Cafe as full time employees. Both businesses have been incredibly well received by locals and expats alike, and the Cafe has become a favourite haunt for many regulars. Also, Bloom Cafe held its first kids’ party which was a raging success among the dozen 6-year old girls dressed in the Princess Theme. Both the partygoers and our girls loved the experience.

There’s more to come so keep your eyes and ears tuned for the next quarterly newsletter in June, and get involved in the Change the World One Cupcake at a Time Week in August! More information to come…

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