11 PM - Christal Earle’s Blog

Perhaps you know someone like this: no matter what they do or what predicament they find themselves in, life just seems to be taken in stride for them. They make it look so easy. Other people in the same situation may be freaking out, melting down, or running away. But not this person; they have what it takes to stick with it. They have sprezzatura. This old Italian word basically means, “Don’t let them see you sweat.” It’s where everything seems to be almost effortless, yet it always works out. Kru Nam is my Thai picture of sprezzatura.

The first time I sat down to talk with Kru Nam, we were on the bamboo-slat floor of a rickety shack on thicker bamboo poles, in the middle of a bare patch of land. With each movement we made, the bamboo floor stretched and groaned underneath us, threatening to let go under the weight of all of us. Beside me, Vaden nervously held his breath, fully aware that his 250 pounds was the biggest reason for the bamboo’s objections! That land and that little shack were nothing to look at if you are only capable of seeing what is in front of you. But we didn’t see it with our eyes that day - we saw it with our hearts as Kru Nam painted a picture for us of what freedom could look like for the 100+ kids that they had rescued off the streets and out of brothels. On that dry little patch of land, far away from the eyes and reaches of predators, traffickers and corrupt law enforcement, they could create a place of safety, a place of hope, and a haven of love. At the time that we met them all, they were seeking out an existence with these orphans in a two-story storefront building. Meals were never taken for granted and every baht (Thai Currency) was tightly accounted for. They had nothing but love, hope, and a dream - and an incredible dose of sprezzatura!

As we sat there that day, we joined our dreams with hers of how Absolute could help and of what this could look like. Kru Nam pulled out the plans for the homes that they were believing they could build on that land, and we began to see it all take shape right in front of us. These homes would mean more than we could ever dream for these kids and the staff that worked with them. They would have room to play and be kids in, they would have access to clean water, they would have an office which they could set up and begin to reach out to the world around them in. After that afternoon, we were returning to Canada with a goal: to rally the troops and get them some help. And we were able to do it: through the help of Absolute, the Not For Sale Campaign, and a few other international organizations, money and resources were raised to start the project.

One year later we returned with our Hero Holiday team and we weren’t quite prepared for what was there when we pulled up to the property: new, beautiful and clean buildings sat proudly on the property, laughing kids danced around our truck, waving excitedly for us to come see their new home, and in the midst of all of them, Kru Nam and her staff stood there beaming at us, waving us on. I was in awe of how far they had come and I said so to Kru Nam right after I hugged her hello. She smiled, as usual, and calmly said, “Yes, we have come a long way this year.” Despite much opposition, being taken advantage of by corrupt officials, money and resources being continually stolen from them by construction workers and other people as they attempted to get settled in their new place, and the heartbreak of losing some kids back to the streets and to sickness, they were still standing and they weren’t going anywhere. Still, they stood there that day, welcoming us with grace and poise to their new home - their new home that had cost them everything and would continue to be full of healing and heartbreak every day. They stood there with sprezzatura, and as I watched them in action, it made me want to try a little harder, work a lot smarter and reach a lot more lives.

Kru Nam and her staff stand as beacons of light in very dark place in Northern Thailand. Every day there are hurdles to overcome, unexpected predicaments and often heartbreak, but through love and determination, they work with each one of the kids they harbour to live a life of recovery and wholeness. This is love at the grassroots and it is vital to the future of our global family. This August, Absolute’s Hero Holiday program will be returning to Thailand to help Kru Nam, her staff, and the incredibly inspiring kids that they love and work with, both on the streets and in their homes. We would love to have you join us! Check out http://heroholiday.absolute.org/thailand to find out more about how you can join us on the experience of a lifetime!

Human rights are not always something that you or I think about very often. Most of us live and work in a world where we never really have to consider how they affect our lives: we take many privileges for granted and in our thinking, they are natural, not something to be fought for. However, for many of our friends around the world, human rights are something they have fought for, sacrificed for, and have welcomed support for; especially when it comes to their kids.

The first Declaration on the Rights of a Child was accepted by the League of Nations in 1923. With the basic premise that every child has the right to education, healthcare, security and a home, it was received by the world as the basis for the hope of children everywhere. Great in theory…much more difficult in practice. Too often, governments can overlook those that need the help the most; it is easier to pretend sometimes that our help isn’t needed. Absolute experienced something really refreshing in Mexico this year. We saw how government can help if they choose to, and we saw how simple it can be to offer a disabled child dignity and hope - even when many things seem hopeless.

Stefany is a Mexican social development worker in San Quentin. According to Absolute staff, she is the kind of social worker that will drive to your shack at one in the morning if you need her to. Because of her amazing dedication, she is well-respected among the poor, and she is always in the loop of who needs help. That’s how we found out about Misael.

Misael shared a bedroom in a friend’s house with his mom, Juana, his sister, Wendy, and his on-again-off-again dad. Two months before we met Misael, he lost his leg in a motorbike accident with his dad. A drunk driver crashed into them, crushing Misael’s foot and resulting in a rapid infection that led to amputation above the knee. The young family needed someone to believe in them and they needed that belief to result in tangible help.

Absolute made a deal with the government: if they would provide the land for Juana and her family, we would provide the house. Misael deserved the right to have his childhood back. Without any possibilities of trauma counseling or otherwise, he at least needed to know that his life was important and that someone cared enough to show him. He needed room to learn how to walk again, and space to just be a kid again. Through the kindness of the government workers, and landowner’s donation, and the help our Absolute School of Leadership students, Misael got that and more. A new home for the family resulted in a special shower for Misael, as well as other necessary “luxuries” for the family such as bedding, kitchen supplies and warmth. And best of all? Misael has been fitted for a prosthetic limb and is learning how to adjust to his life with passion and fervor!

There are hundreds of thousands of children around the world like Misael, and most of them have lost their limbs due to the selfishness, greed and disregard of the world around them. At a time when the world should be celebrating their lives, the decisions of many have cost the Misael’s of the world dearly. Misael is an amputee because of one man’s selfish decision and because of the poverty that entrenches his young life. While his physical injuries can’t be changed, we can work together to help make the world a safer and more secure place for kids such as him.

Join us on Hero Holiday this year in Mexico! We will be building homes for families such as Misael’s and working in communities to extend a hand up out of disabling poverty. We need you and you need to experience the power of being hope for someone else! Check out www.absolute.org.

Peter Parker’s aunt once looked him in the eye and said to him, “Always remember: with great power comes great responsibility”. Months later, as he emerged into the beloved Spiderman, he never forgot those words. They were what helped him to see that he wasn’t helpless to watch injustice happen. He was empowered to make a difference. As the world began to respond to the crisis in Haiti, we all knew that we could not remain silent; nor could we remain inactive. We had to do something. We had the willingness, and thanks to the help of many friends from around the world, we had the means with which to make it happen. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it would always be worth it.

Cole was one of our Absolute team that responded to the earthquake crisis immediately. Joining with other supporters of Absolute, they showed up in Port au Prince within 80 hours after the initial earthquake. The situation was full of unspeakable horrors: tryng to help desperate family members search for loved ones under tonnes of rubble, working to get water and food to those who were still in shock and without a single means to provide for themselves, watching helplessly as the bodies of victims began to collect in the streets, and always, the stench of death and loss all around them. It was a lot to process and filter through, but when they returned to Canada, they returned with a desire to do something immediately and efficiently, and suporters of Absolute responded with compassion and provision.

On February 4, two and a half weeks after arriving back in Canada, Cole crossed back over the border into Haiti with a supply truck filled with aid for Port Au Prince. All of it had been purchased with the money sent from around the world to Absolute, and not a penny was wasted. After initially assessing the situation in January, we had determined that the best way for us to help was to work through David, the director of the children’s home in Port Au Prince that we support. David had identified four key neighbourhoods that were yet to receive any form of aid: they were people that had come to an orphanage, a church, a refugee and camp and one of the “tent cities” that had since erected since the earthquake. There was over 5000 people in total that were in these locations. With the help of many men that David had rounded up, they began to deliver supplies to these areas. Each family that was reached received a package filled with soap, candles, toilet paper, rice, beans, oil, drink mix, bandages, corn mix, clean drinking water, pasta, and cookies. It was the first means of any type of aid that they had received. They had thought they were forgotten, and when the truck showed up they realized that their prayers were heard and that they were valued.

Each night, Cole, David, and the volunteers, would return back to the compound of Kay Papa Nou, David’s orphanage. Their building was not destroyed, but it has been damaged enough that they were not able to sleep in it. So, like the millions of other people in Port au Prince, they slept outside on the ground, under tent covers and mosquito harrassment. They are the lucky ones: they at least have a safe place to sleep, food and water, and each other. The only place that Cole could find to set up his “tent” at the compound was in the driveway, next to the chicken coop. Not bad, until 5 AM, when the kids from the orphanage woke him up singing church songs and offered him breakfast: spaghetti with ketchup and sardines. A great way to start the day!

That day was a day that Cole will never forget. As they went out in search of the next community that David had identified that needed aid, they found a family across the street from the tent city; only they were without a tent. The husband was blind and their six month old baby laid on the hard dirt beside them. They had lost everything. All they had was the clothes on their back, and even those should have been destroyed long ago. Cole and David took $30 of the supply money and found them a sturdy tent, filling it with food, a mattress, diapers, and other emergency supplies. Something so simple changed their lives completely. They were overwhelmed with gratitude, unable to fully express what this simple gift meant to them. Many of us would spend $30 on a night out and not even think anything of it, yet that simple gift gave them hope and reminded them that they were not alone, nor were they forgotten.

David has set up a brilliant distribution system in the neighbourhoods we have been helping through the money that has been donated to Absolute. It is getting aid into the hands of people who need it most, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something so simple yet so profound. The word “compassion” is defined by “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering”. This is what it can look like in our day and age: to give hope to the hopeless, provide food for the hungry, be a voice for the voiceless, and to always be mindful that with our great power comes a great responsibility. It is the responsibility to respond where we can, because our choices are powerful and affect the world around us.

For those of you who donated toward our Haiti emergency relief efforts, thank you. Your gift has gone a long ways and has been put into the hands that need it most. Your compassion for our Haitian friends and family is an incredible legacy and we are honoured to partner with you.

We will be continuing to work in Haiti in the days ahead through our Hero Holiday projects. We need your help! Please consider joining us and/or helping us to fund much needed rebuilding efforts. Every choice we make matters and we are glad that we are in this together. Check out www.absolute.org for more information on how to get involved.

Absolute has had many incredible moments over the years. We have met people all over the world, many of them quietly and consistently creating a revolution on their own terms: through love, compassion, hope and generosity. Nikki is one of those people and she is an inspiration for many of us who know her. Nikki first joined us on a Hero Holiday in Dominican Republic the summer of her high school graduation. Having seen an Absolute presentation in her school the preceding year, something inside of her was quickened when she was offered the opportunity to join us and make a difference. That something is how a revolution begins.

A revolution is defined by “a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, especially one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence.” In the world in which we live, many revolutions have resulted in lives being lost and change being brought, but at a very high price. However, there is one remarkable characteristic that has often been overlooked: many of the world’s revolutions have been led by the youth. Often times, those who are the most impassioned for change are the emerging generation. However, being passionate for change is one thing, having an outlet to make that happen is another.

Nikki came home from Dominican Republic a changed life. Not only did she experience all of the emotional moments of encountering poverty and exploitation, but she also saw past that and realized that she could turn her life into a life that reaches out where it is most needed. Realizing that she had the ability to raise funds on her own to continue to do what she felt she needed to do, Nikki created a blog designing business, Blogs for a Cause. Through her work with creating blogs, Nikki raised thousands of dollars for both her own travels and to donate to many international projects that she was passionate about. But it wasn’t just about finding ways to raise money that made the revolution in Nikki’s life; it was about being the change right where she was at: her trip with Hero Holiday also inspired her to meet Haitian refugees in her community. Every Wednesday and Saturday Nikki volunteers with refugees, mostly Haitian, helping to teach English, show them around the city, offering free babysitting, and reaching out to them in compassion. Because she has seen the power of child sponsorship and how it brings hope to so many lives, Nikki also personally sponsors 5 children around the world, all while putting herself through university.

Since her first trip with Hero Holiday, Nikki has been back to Dominican Republic four times, has led her to Ethiopia, and inspired by Absolute’s work with Haitians in Dominican Republic, this past year, Nikki and a fellow Hero Holiday alumni, Melissa, went to Port au Prince, Haiti. There they joined up with the Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic charity that ran a malnutrition clinic in Delmas, one of the main areas of Port au Prince. Nikki and Melissa helped out where they could, holding the children and helping to feed and take care of them. It was raw and shocking: of the 100 children in the charity’s care, they lose an average one life per day to poverty’s cruelty. Nikki held 6 year old Frankel, who was still the size of a baby, with hair falling out and was literally skin and bones. Little Frankel left an impact on Nikki and his young life inspired her to return to Canada and to continue to work to help raise money for the charity there.

When I asked Nikki why she is so passionate about what she does, this is what she said:

“People that I met through Hero Holiday are among those I consider my favourite people in the world; people that I can be myself around, feel comfortable with, and learn from. Hero Holiday taught me the value of education in poverty stricken countries, and so in the months that follow the earthquake I am going to try to raise money and awareness to build up the schools that have collapsed and make education possible for all of the children in Haiti who do not, or cannot, attend school.”

At first, I wondered how she was going to do that; but I should have known better. Of course she had a plan! She has designed a fair trade shirt, available on her blog, One Tiny Starfish, and the proceeds are going towards rebuilding Haiti, one life at a time.

And that is how a revolution begins…

Absolute is now starting to do Hero Holidays to Haiti. We will be focusing on rebuilding efforts in Port Au Prince, to help counter the orphan crisis, as well as looking towards building projects for education and medical care in Cap Haitien, one of the main cities receiving refugees from the earthquake. You can help! Check out www.absolute.org.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”. ~ Barack Obama