We’re thrilled to announce a new video that shares about two sisters, Saifon and Panee! These young women are stateless, meaning they don’t have any kind of national citizenship. Statelessness leaves them without the legal protections that governments give based on citizenship, and they are also denied access to many of the basic rights citizens enjoy.
When we were first introduced to Saifon and Panee almost 10 years ago, they were living in a very unsafe place, isolated high up in the jungle on a mountain, without electricity and far from even a dirt road. The nearest main road was about a 45-minute drive through the jungle where there was often no discernible path. Without electricity, it was completely dark at night, and the walkway between the hut and outhouse was covered in slippery moss. Though they were only children, they carried a lot of responsibility for taking care of themselves. Getting to school from so far away was an incredible burden.
In this video, you can see how far they’ve come in the years since. Because of the generous support of donors like you, they’ve reasserted their right to dream. Their determination to make a life for themselves, even in the face of statelessness, is inspiring, and we feel certain you’ll feel moved by what they’ve accomplished too.
This year, we’re helping vulnerable youths like Saifon and Panee restore themselves to a better path, repair what has been broken, reassert their rights, and rejuvenate all our spirits in the process as they continue to demonstrate incredible resilience. Your generous gift is key to making all that possible. Can you help us continue to protect them through 2021? Please give to our End of Year Campaign, and help us raise $110,000 by midnight PST, Dec. 31, 2021!
If you’re here on Giving Tuesday (November 30), please give via our Global Giving fundraising page, where Global Giving is matching donations proportionately AND an anonymous donor from The Freedom Story is matching all donations up to $50,000. So your gift can grow twice! Be sure to give by midnight EST/9pm PST to take advantage of this opportunity!
Video credit: Ton Cedar
