Biographe Blanks, is our custom designed, socially conscience screen printing service. Using customer submitted designs, each shirt is hand printed by a woman who has survived, or was at risk, in the commercial sex trade.

Our 100% cotton crew neck tees are great for organizations, bands, events, and boutique businesses.

So if you need shirts we can help!

We’d love for you to check out Biographe Blanks, and place an order. Not only will you look good, but you will feel good too as an order of 250 shirts will employ a survivor for a month. After all it is about so much more than shirts.

If you would like to help, but don’t need shirts, you can always donate. Your support would be super helpful! All proceeds will go to our Bangkok operations, directly impacting the women we serve.

Thanks!

Sean, CEO Biographe

The objective of this post is to motivate you to donate some money to The Blind Project. (Referred to, in advancement circles, as “The Ask”).

People HATE “The Ask”. Whether you are the asker or the askee, it is uncomfortable, so I thought we would be upfront and get it out of the way.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner. We will buy, because it is the season of gift giving, and this is good thing. I bet some of your most fond memories are opening a gift or seeing the face of the person when you gave the perfect gift. Of course part of giving the perfect gift means it won’t be returned. (All that “research” on our computers at work paid off.)

On a personal note, my father is notorious for returning gifts. You have someone in your family that is the same way, and if you can’t think of anyone, then YOU are that person. So in a moment of passive aggressive genius creativity I decided to limit the option of a father returning the thoughtful gifts of a son.

In short- I give meat.

Yes, meat…and it’s from a butcher’s shop so returning meat to a grocery store is not an option. You may be thinking, ‘Return meat to a grocery store?’ Please see above when I used the phrase, “notorious for returning gifts.” I did not exaggerate.

When Y2k did not live up to the hype, my dear father returned umpteen cases of water to the grocery store. Why did he fill half of his garage with cases of water? Because, (note that quotes are being used) “The neighbors will need water when Y2k happens, and they don’t think ahead like I do.” Before you think that was sensitive and altruistic, I am pretty sure that dad intended to price gouge, having cornered the market on having billions of molecules of two hydrogens connected to one oxygen.

Thank you for permitting me to publicly work out some of my issues. I plan to cancel therapy this week and donate the money to TBP.

Speaking of money…it might be wise to ask, “What did last year’s donations produce?”

In 2011, TBP:

• Launched Biographe Lab in Bangkok, Thailand: Women, previously working in the sex industry are now employed by TBP
(see “Sleep Well” & “Introducing Biographe Beta“)

• Obtained 501 (c) (3) status (Official non-profit status)

• Taught beauty (hair, makeup) classes as well as drama and art therapy.
(see “Trip update“)

• Facilitated production of media for organizations in Thailand and Burma.

“The video was a great hit, donations are coming in because of it. TBP has been a great encouragement to us. Thank you.”
-Tim Byers (Board Member for multiple non-profit organizations in Southeast Asia)

What you can do!

• Donate

• Ask your family to donate to TBP in lieu of one Christmas present

• Suggest facebook friends “like” the TBP facebook page. This is one way to be a biographer. (Her story, Your voice.)

• Buy a biographe t-shirt

Thank you for (not) reading, and please remember we can’t do it without YOU.

David and TBP staff

An important value in Thai culture is a positive perception of their society and nation. It is uncommon for a Thai person to even acknowledge the social problems that dull the shine on a proud and ancient heritage. It is my goal to show sensitivity to our Thai brothers and sisters and acknowledge that stories like this, while accurate, may be uncomfortable to read. Thailand is the most deferential and polite society I have observed. Its cities move at the same pace of a metropolitan city in the US, but there is a grace to the movement that is completely foreign to the US. The absence of honking horns is one example. When you do see a Thai taxi driver use the horn, it appears to be in an apologetic manner, juxtaposed to the spiteful noise that litters our urban streets.
I love Thailand. I appreciate and honor Thailand. I value justice, and despise injustice. This is why this story and countless others like it must be told. Thank you for reading.

David, The Blind Project

Phan recalls she had a fun childhood. She lived with one of her grandmothers until she was eight. The fun childhood memories stopped when she moved in with her parents. When she was ten she went to school Monday through Friday and worked every Saturday and Sunday in the mango fields. She was able to go to school until the 4th grade, but when her parents ran out of money she had to stop school and work every day. (A common thread in the stories of many Thai prostitutes is they were living in a dysfunctional family.) Unfortunately, for a large percentage of Thai families stuck in generational poverty, generational alcoholism, where drug abuse, sexual abuse and undervaluing education is prevalent, dysfunction is the norm.

When she was 12 years old, Phan started a job at a convenience store. Her father’s addictions required more and more money. Phan and her mother worked long hours each day.

Her mom and dad’s home was not a place of refuge, but a place of abuse. Because of this, she seldom went home to sleep.

She slept on a bottom shelf towards the back of the store. She would move some bags of rice to one side of the shelf and lay her head on a rice bag. She said, “I really didn’t sleep very well, because I would listen for the door to open, and when it opened I jumped up, put the rice back in place and went behind the counter to wait on the customer. When they left I would go back to my shelf. I remember being tired a lot.”

Most of the money Phan made was taken by her father to support his addictions and pay his gambling debts, but Phan would always save a little money. When she was 16, she had saved 1,500 baht ($50 US). 1,500 baht was the exact amount her mother needed for the medical services to deliver a child. Phan willingly gave all she had to pay that bill. Now she is 25 years old and still willingly gives money to her family to send her brother to school.

By 20 years old, Phan has experienced many lifetimes of pain.

She gave birth to two baby girls, but because she knew she couldn’t adequately care for her second child she gave her baby to a foundation that would see she was cared for. Shortly after this, her 16-month old daughter died of pneumonia. Phan lived in a Bangkok slum for years. She recalls, “There was always fighting in the slums. People had no money and nothing to do. A lot of people drank and used drugs and fought.”

“I was raped several times by drunk men. There are no good doors in the slum, so there was no way to keep people out of where you sleep.”

Phan’s sister, a prostitute, got her a job at a bar. She tried to just be a waitress. She repeatedly said no to the “Johns,” but eventually gave in when a customer offered her and her sister a large amount of money for “a sandwich.” Phan smiles a little now, when she recalls how innocent and naïve she had been: “I didn’t know what a sandwich meant, so I said yes because it was so much money. I started crying when I found out the man wanted me to be sexual with my sister. I hated it.”

Phan’s father continued to pile up gambling debts. Phan was doing anything she could to make money at this time of her life. She was dancing in bars, prostituting and even modeled for a porn website. One of her current regrets is that her images are still on the porn websites. She has repeatedly asked the pornographers to take them down, but they refuse.

One evening, Phan was visited by women from an organization in Bangkok that offers alternate employment, counseling, and love; three things that Phan needed and accepted.

The Blind Project is proud to say that Phan is one of the women who work in the Biographe Lab in Bangkok. Phan’s smile lights up a room. Her joy is evident and plentiful.

“I sleep good now,” Phan says, “but I feel a little guilty that I might be lazy because I like my work.”

Cedarville Univertsity Student Chapel on Thailand [Click on this link to hear an excerpt of "Sleep Well" read to the student body of Cedarville University by, Assistant Professor of Nursing and TBP staff member, David Butgereit]

$35 Pre-Sale, (Includes limited addition Biographe Beta Tee)

$40 at door day of event

The Blind Project, together with DACS (Designers Against Child Slavery), is excited to showcase a dynamic gallery of work from artists all over the globe. All artwork has been donated for this event and is up for silent auction to benefit The Blind Project.

Also presenting Biogrpahe Blanks , a Blind Project initiative, with a runway showing of garments to be produced by survivors of the commercial sex-trade.  The Biographe line exists to generate resources and opportunities for the restoration and rehabilitation of those women.

We will also be honoring the winners from last years Be A Biographer design competition.

100% of all event proceeds will be used in cause of The Blind Project and it’s expanding programs.

The first 150 people through the door will receive a limited edition Biographe Beta T-shirt printed in the Biographe Lab in Bangkok, Thailand. (Sizes and quantities are limited)

Wine and Beer will be served through the evening.

Raffles and door prizes throughout the evening.

Silent auction will conclude at the end of the evening.

Advance tickets can be purchased here.

Each graphic on these limited edition t-shirts is inspired by a woman’s story that has been exploited in the sex trade. Biographe Beta is the culmination of Be a Biographer – an open source design challenge in the summer of 2010 that solicited designers, artists and creative-minded people to tell survivors’ stories through their designs.

This past March, while spending over a month in Bangkok, The Blind Project team worked with NightLight International, our flagship partner, to begin production.  We  hired a manager, accountant and four survivors to create these graphic tees. None of these women had any experience in screen printing, production or design, and now all have marketable job skills.

Biographe Beta is the first step in moving towards our launch of Biographe – a premium fashion brand which will continue to build upon our existing model of employing and empowering survivors of the commercial sex trade in Bangkok, Thailand.  Biographe matters not solely because of what is being created, but how it is being created.

Support our project by purchasing one of these limited edition tees. Simply by making a purchase you are investing in the journey of these four women as they continue to improve their job skills.  Biographe Beta is a limited edition line of t-shirts. Once they’re gone, they’re gone! Don’t miss your opportunity today to be part of the journey and invest in future of these survivors. Buy yours today here!

Her Story. Your Voice.

Sitting in a KFC in Mae Sai Thailand I asked the question, “Why do you work where you work?”  Not an unusual question in itself, but it becomes more intriguing when the context is established.  This woman works in a safe house for exploited girls in Myanmar. She is well educated, has an MDiv, is a competent manager, and respected by her peers.  In short, she could make much more money and the status that follows.

She almost never gets a night off.  That in itself would be enough for most of us to opt out.  She sleeps in a bed with two other staff members. Her home country of Myanmar is not known to be exactly friendly to its citizens.  Then there is the drama that is inevitably present when you live with a house full of teenagers.  These teenagers come from backgrounds that are horrific.

As we sat in the brightly lit KFC, she smiled and said the following:

“My grandfather follow Jesus, and so did my dad.  Very very hard for my grandfather since he was the first in his village.  My dad follow Jesus too, and it very hard for him since he policeman.  So I get education, and want to help girls.”

The legacy of her grandfather doesn’t stop with her.  One of her brothers started and manages an orphanage in Myanmar.  Two other brothers left their home country to make more money in order to support the orphanage.

Is she a hero?  For sure.  Not a hero that will be known by many, in fact for safety reasons I can’t even tell you her name, but then again that doesn’t matter to her.  She continues her grandfather’s legacy, and who knows what legacy she is starting.  Decades from now, someone may ask one of her “children”, “Why do you work where you work?”  They can say, “I used to live in a safe house after my parents sold me into prostitution when I was 12, and the lady that worked at the safe house showed me love for the first time in my life…”

Thank you for reading,

David, faith based liaison, TBP

From the tears to the laughter, the jaw-dropping to the eye-opening, the obstacles to the accomplishments, the first week in Bangkok proved to be quite the ride.

We have diverse backgrounds and varying  skill-sets.  It is interesting to watch how those backgrounds unite to bring economic, emotional and physical support to these women that have survived the commercial sex trade.

We planned an array of workshops, outings and projects that will produce immediate and long-term benefits.

Our goals for week one were to: “set up camp”, workout the complex logistics for Biographe,  establish relationships with the women, and continue to deepen our relationship with our flagship parter, Nightlight. Thankfully, we met those goals.  Here are some examples of what our first week looked like.

Art Therapy with Kim:

Kim lead the women in a powerful series of art therapy sessions that were designed to reveal and heal. She guided them, and helped them express their emotions and feelings through art.

The women enjoyed sharing their new artwork.  The stories behind their artwork ranged from tragic to hopeful.

Concepts from despair, anger, hopelessness to happiness, beauty and love were discussed.  Many women said they have kept these feelings inside and it was healing and comfortable to express them while painting or drawing.

I was shocked by how powerful the act of being creative is. For the first time some of these women were able to connect with a child-like side of themselves and were able to express this in an entirely new way.

Our restorative programs are the perfect kickstart to the ongoing creative opportunities that will be available to the women through Biographe.

Beauty Workshops with Christie and  Pepper:

Christie and Pepper taught a series of hair and makeup classes giving the women both new skill sets and positive bonding experiences.

Though hesitant in the beginning, the women became excited about things they had never seen. They observed various techniques and spent time practicing on one another. Fantastic relationships of trust and friendship were beginning to form.

“We had a lot of fun and when I asked the group what they considered beauty or thought was beautiful they unanimously told me confidence.” – Pepper

To conclude the beauty workshops, the women had makeovers, then were photographed by Nina and Anthony.

Each individual was given a color print of themselves. They were extremely grateful that others were willing to dedicate time to them.

Restoring the physical with Dental care:

Most of the survivors cannot afford basic health care. Because of a generous donor, TBP was able to provide resources for dental care for each of the women at our current location in Bangkok.

This was the first time that most of these ladies had ever been to the dentist, and it was very apparent in their response and the confidence they exuded the next day.

We were told that one women was so ecstatic about her new “pearly whites” that she could’t help but show them off the next day at work. To everybody! She was just so excited. She stated that she had been praying for an opportunity like this for a long time and that it was truly God answering her prayers.

Breaking the cycle of generational extreme poverty:

Our biggest “to do” on this trip is to set up the factory for our clothing line Biographe – a premium sustainable style brand that employs and empowers survivors of the commercial sex trade. The business model is simple: we design, the survivors produce the jewelry and apparel, we market and sell, and then reinvest all of the profits back into the survivors.

This is an economically sustainable model that will employ hundreds of women in the coming years!

Much of the TBP crew spent time this week sourcing material, meeting with vendors and on conference calls to places yet unseen.

Screen printing equipment finally made it through customs and arrived last Friday afternoon.

This marks the beginning of great things to come.

The action-filled week was wrapped up with a celebratory lunch party for all of the women. Everyone danced, played games and mingled.

We seemed to have perpetual smiles.  Smiles that hid tired eyes, but smiles nonetheless.

Thank you for keeping up with TBP.  Next week: More photos, more stories, and eye care by Jess!

Grateful. Joyous. Relieved.

- Anthony, Executive Director / Founder

The Blind Project has two major initiatives, one is Biographe, and the second is ___________.  We don’t have a name for it!  We have come up with some great names, but we are unable to use those due to duplication of names with other organizations.  We have tried, “reveal”, “restore”, “mend”, and nope, nope, and nope…they are all taken.

No worries, because we have you: An army of creative minds, and we are sure you will think of a descriptive, hip, and worthy name for our __________ initiative.

Here are some details.  We will accept input on our facebook page until next Saturday, March 6^th.   At that time, TBP staff will vote on the names, and announce the chosen name and the winner one week later.  The people that submitted the top three names, as chosen by TBP staff, will receive a TBP logo    t-shirt, and our appreciation.

Mission Statement: ___________ is an initiative that focuses on holistic renewal of those people that have been exploited by the commercial sex trade or are part of an at-risk population in South East Asia by offering restorative programs for health and well-being with our partner organizations.

Examples:

• On the last TBP trip, hundreds of children were given eye-care check-ups and many were fitted with corrective lenses and frames

On the  upcoming TBP trip:

• Many girls from a partner organization with receive much needed dental care.  This was made possible, having heard of the need, when a donor graciously gave funds to cover the dental care for all the girls in need.
• Optical check-ups will be offered as well as corrective interventions
• TBP Hair and Makeup experts will be doing makeovers, then the girls will have the option to sit for a photograph by one of our professional photographers.  She will be given this photograph. (with permission of the girls, some of these photographs may be a part of a TBP  gallery exhibit in NYC later this year.)
• A Mental Health Nurse team will join our partner organizations in May to assess what kinds of grants or scholarships will be needed to provide restorative services to those that have been exploited.

This new program, the one YOU may name will not be exclusive to the bi-annual TBP trips to SEA.  This new initiative will function year round, and will offer:

• Scholarships for women to learn a trade in the beauty field (example: hair and makeup)
• Provide grants for emergency medical treatment, beyond what the Thai government offers. (example: the optical and  dental care needed and given above)
• Provide grants to the  exploited women, men, and children, that perceive themselves as  permanently broken,  in order to receive treatment from  well established in-country mental health professionals so they can know how special they are, and that the option of grace allows for a hope that has until now alluded them.

So here is what you do:

1. Click on the blog and read the post so you can understand what this initiative is about. (check, you have done this)
2. Go back to facebook, under the post, “Help us name our new initiative!”
3. Post the name you came up with, and then tell us what inspired you.  That’s it.
4. Oh, and tell your friends about this open-source contest!  We always appreciate that.

Thank you all for helping us,

TBP

This is a perfect example of artists from various backgrounds coming together to create compelling relevant content with a powerful voice for those without one.

Joan, a girl of 5 at the time, went to visit her grandma for a few weeks.  Her grandma lived in a close-knit community that often relied on each other. Church life was an integral part of living in this rural area, but this community was defined by a division.  That division was based on race.

The first night of Joan’s visit to her grandma’s house she cleaned up for dinner, as was required, and had a nice home cooked meal. Near the end of the meal, Joan heard a scratching on the screen of the back door.  The noise sounded familiar.  It sounded like the family dog from back home when it wanted to be let inside, but grandma didn’t have a dog.  Joan’s grandma told her to stay in the dining room and not come out.  She did not want Joan to see what was at the screen door.

Joan’s curiosity got the better of her and she went to a window where she saw something she did not understand.  She watched her grandmother scrape off the dinner plates onto the ground outside the back door, where “little black people” waited on their hands and knees to eat the dinner scraps. Joan, rightfully disturbed by this, asked her grandma, “How come them people are eating off the ground and walking like dogs?”  Her grandmother’s reply was simply, “It’s just them n***** comin’ for their food.”

Years later, while reflecting on this event, which left an indelible mark on Joan, she asked her grandmother about this time in her life.  One of the more disturbing facts she learned was her grandmother was acting in rebellion to her church, culture, and community at that time.  Providing dinner scraps on the dirt was not approved of and was viewed by her church as doing too much for these people.  These others.

We should be astonished and indignant about this story.  We may even be tempted to dismiss it as folklore or propaganda (which it is not), but I encourage all of us to ask the question, “Are my current actions toward those in need the equivalent of scraping off a dinner plate onto the ground for a hungry person?”

The challenge for all of us is to examine our lives in a way that constantly asks, “What can I be doing? Who do I know that needs help?”

We may ask people, “Are you okay, do you need anything?” but too often we are just doing a dance with our words to make ourselves feel like we have done something.  Most of the time the answer comes back as, “No, I’m good, thanks for asking.” And the dance continues.

“Tend your garden” is a phrase often used by my friends that is shorthand for the following: We can’t individually meet everyone’s needs, but we can be alert to the needs of those “in our garden,” those people, situations or programs that have entered our life by any number of means.

Someone probably came to your mind who needs more than scraps, right?  If so, tend your garden.

Note:

We humbly ask you to consider financial support for The Blind Project’s Southeast Asia Trip. TBP’s staff will be providing aid to victims of human trafficking, sexual slavery, and abject poverty.

We have set up a website to provide more information about this year’s trip as well as information about TBP staff.

We thank you for helping us, and beyond that we thank you for helping those in need in SE Asia.

Sincerely,

TBP

Image created by photo from McBeth