How greed, corruption, poverty, ignorance, and the caste system combine to enslave children into the sex industry in India.

Sheri and Curtis attended an informational talk at the Environmental Center by Shannon Keith who founded the International Princess Project, Shannon was moved by her experiences during a trip to India. The following from her website:

In February of 2005, Shannon Keith made a trip to India that changed her life. While there, she visited a red light district with an organization whose mission is to rescue prostitutes. As Shannon's group distributed fruit, medicines, and small grooming items, she was struck by the number of women and children living in crude shacks that provide both shelter and a place for business. She could not forget the individual faces, "some worn by years of abuse, others that appear young until you look into their eyes and are almost paralyzed by the empty pools that stare back at you." The squalor and sense of hopelessness were overwhelming to Shannon.

The women and children who are a part of the sex trade in India—Mumbai (Bombay) alone has the largest concentrated red light district in the world—are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and disease. The chance for escape from the sex trade is slim. Unlike the U.S. where government programs exist to help those who are destitute and want to make a change for the better in their lives, India has no financial aid for women who want to get out of the profession. And the stigma attached to children of prostitutes bars them from entering public school, virtually forcing them into the same life that their mothers endure.

What Shannon discovered was that everyday children are: trafficked, bought, sold, or kidnapped and forced into the sex trade. Human traffickers cajole, lie, trick, and bargain with families in cities and villages, playing on the desperation of their poverty, the terrible burden of the marriage dowry system, and the inescapably of the caste system. Children are promised a good life, a good husband, a good job, and purchased for as little a $50. Unfortunately once the child arrives at the brothel they are confined and gang raped until their spirit is broken. Then they are pimped out and forced to have sex up to 20 times each day. The police are corrupt and will do nothing to stop this crime (the police make money on this).

All this is a bit gut wrenching, and Shannon must be a very strong person. The International Princess Project provides funding to organizations who rescue children from these unspeakable situations and reintroduces them to the world. She sells PJ's to raise money.

RISE UP INDIA salutes Shannon, Thank you so much for RISING UP!

Education is a step on the path for the prevention of child sex trafficking. As part of the solution RISE UP INDIA provides free education to 250 children. These children will be equipped with some simple tools to prepare them for the future. They have an increased world view and their lives have more value making less susceptible to trafficking. The nine orphan boys supported by RISE UP INDIA defiantly have a better chance at a positive future than if they were out on the street.

Note to Reader: More people are enslaved now than at any time in history. This horrible crime occurs everyday 24/7 - 365. This is not some reality TV show. Get down and kiss the ground and thank the stars that you, my friend, are not in the above situation. There are truly evil people in the world and you, as a civilized western person with access to resources, are truly obligated to RISE UP NOW and stop them. What are you waiting for?

MAGIC, which hosts the largest fashion trade shows in the world, will be throwing a benefit party in Los Angeles July 12th at it's Pool Trade Show venue (2900 Rowena Ave), to help support the efforts of Rise Up in combating the exploitation of children.

The evening will start at 8pm and feature the music of Brother Reade & The Lakes, and original art by the Rise Up collective. All the artwork sold at the show will go directly to help stop the exploitation of children through educational opportunities. Free art show from 8-9pm

Brother Reade is a critically acclaimed group who's recent album Rap Music received top
reviews by: LA Times, Pitchfork, Stylus Magazine, URB Magazine, OC Weekly, and many other
publications. Benefit concert doors open open at 9pm & is $10 - Free Drinks!

The Cause - Modern Slave Trade
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded, or
coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. Sadly slavery has become a $31 billion annual
business. Women and children are the primary victims. There are 27 million slaves worldwide, 80% are women and children, 1.2 million children trafficked every year.

Rise Up International is fighting the modern slave trade by providing street intervention, free education, rehabilitation, and vocational training for over five-hundred at-risk children in India, Nicaragua, and China.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

by Kevin Anderson

Most good ideas seem to start over a pint with good friends and in that way the new boutique in downtown Phoenix is no different. Birthed out of conversations in pubs in Bend Oregon and Phoenix Arizona the idea of having a flagship store for Rise Up was something that quickly gained traction and movement. We began to dream in the style that has given Rise Up its definition, that is we dreamed big and then started to believe that with the creativity and resources that come through a community committed to justice and beauty we could do anything we wanted. All of this was taking place in the early fall of last year.

By December we began the process of looking for locations and assembling the team of people that would be able to turn this dream into a reality. We wanted to have a boutique that would reflect the things that animate us in life. We wanted to be close to the growing arts community in the downtown Phoenix area. We wanted to be close to public transportation and the ASU downtown campus because of our belief in sustainable living and education. And we wanted to have a store that itself was a work of art instead of another retail box that lacks any true diversity. With those values in mind we located a space at the ground level of the historic San Carlos Hotel, right in the heart of the Phoenix skyline.

In the beginning of 2008 we started the process of tearing out the old floors, fixtures, and walls. We found furnishings in gurneys and church pews, looking for items that had contributed to the process of helping and healing individuals and families as we embarked on a similar process through the unlikely avenue of fashion. The store started to take shape and we found other brands that would compliment our commitment to art and activism (Obey, Insight, Toms Shoes, Grn Apple Tree).

The doors first opened to the public in the middle of March for our "soft opening". We have begun to establish ourselves in the community as a store that is committed to apparel, art and activism. We are connecting people with the international humanitarian work that Rise Up is doing in Nicaragua, India, and China. We are also committed to making social changes on a local level through some initiatives we will be working on in the Phoenix area. As a start we are working with an organization called Humane borders in putting water stations in the desert to look after the lives of migrant families. We are also partnering with a start up organization called Phoenix Copper Bikes that is committed to bicycle advocacy as well as providing affordable transportation to the working poor.

Last week we had two huge Rise Up launch parties. We had a DJ'd house party and a night of acoustic music at the hotel San Carlos. This was a grand opening weekend to celebrate the store, the work that Rise Up is doing in the world, and the friendships we are forming as we collectively seek to help children rise up out of poverty. We are excited about the future of the boutique as a hub for people who are in to fashion, art, and making a positive difference in the world. The store is located at 204 N. Central Ave, Phoenix AZ 85003 and the online store will be coming soon at www.riseupstores.com . For more information on how you can be involved please contact kevin@riseupinternational.com.
Gallery

Rise Up India coordinators Sheri & Curtis just got back from a month long trip to India to help support the teachers, set up a new computer system, evaluate the projects, and spend time with the students and their families.
Rise Up is providing free education for 250 children from the untouchable caste in Bodhgaya India. To learn more about how Rise Up is helping to stop the exploitation of this discriminated ethnic group check out our new India Blog

I encourage you to visit our China Project Auction Website - http://www.auctionwire.com/scrollsfromchina
Which is raising funds to build an educational center for those orphans who have to leave their orphanages at the age of 16.

We have partnered with Auction Wire, which is the leading on-line auction company and is leading the way in building this educational center for the artists and other orphans.

Help us in making a difference in the world that we live in.
http://auctionwire.ca/scrollsfromchina/buyabrick.html
For a small amount of $100, you can purchase a brick that will help give hope and a future for those who have been cast away in China.

You can also bid on our premium art pieces. All the money raised from either the art pieces or the "bricks" will go to fund our new "Rise Up International Educational Center". We plan on dedicating this educational center to Si Xun one of our talented artists who just recently passed away.

Thank you for helping us in making a difference and in making tomorrow a better day.

Another Fun Art Event
Rise Up's monthly art collective was on display last Friday at Treefort a new kidster street wear boutique downtown Bend. Check out our new kids gear and a lot of other cool stuff. Thanks to Joe, Jesse L., Nick, Jason, and Tom, for the great art…

The Land Salmon recently interviewed Jesse Roberts, founder and president of Rise Up International. Follow the link below to Read Article.

http://www.thelandsalmon.com/10-questions/ten-questions-rise-up.html

Rise Up International Presents: An Uprising of Compassion. It was held Thursday, December 6th at Backporch Coffee Roasters in Bend Oregon. Over a hundred people came to be apart of this exciting art fundraiser.

The evening featured music by touring artist Wes Rogers and had live art installments by Oregon based artists Jason Graham, Tom Monson, Joe Kimmel, and Omar Andeal. All the artists created art pieces based on their interpretation of the theme "An Uprising of Compassion". Their art pieces were sold with proceeds going to Rise Up. Rise Up helps support kids in poverty in Nicaragua, India, and China. More information about Rise Up can be found at our website: www.riseupinternational.com

If you would like to sponsor a Rise Up Fundraiser in your town, please email yes@riseupinternational.com

Thanks to Pool, ReadyMade, and Alternative Apparel for supporting Rise Up International. The make your own Rise Up t-shirt charity section at the August Pool Trade Show alone raised over $1,800 dollars. These funds will support our efforts in fighting the exploitation of children in Nicaragua. Rise Up will be able to hire another teacher in our "La Chureca school", and provide education for twelve additional children!
La Chureca is a large garbage dump in Nicaragua where thousands of families live. Most of the children there spend their days sifting through the garbage looking for recyclables which they can sell to buy their next meal. Rise Up will now be able to offer a chance for more children to go to school rather than working in the dump. Thanks for helping empower children out of poverty.