The journey began in 2016 when I had the amazing opportunity to go on a river cruise with my husband through Vietnam and Cambodia. It wasn’t something we had initially considered, but the reasonably priced trip (especially since this was pre-COVID) convinced us to embark on this adventure.
I was completely captivated by the people we met in Vietnam and Cambodia, and later on, Laos as well. During our travels, two particular incidents sowed the seeds for MPAHT.
1. One sunny afternoon, we noticed a truck filled with women and young children in the back. Curious, I asked our guide Mao about their story. He explained that they all worked in garment factories and made clothing that I was probably wearing as well. For these women, this line of work enabled them to support and feed their families.
2. While in Phnom Penh, we inquired if there was an NGO-based store where we could purchase authentic souvenirs to bring back home. Our ship director recommended Daughters of Cambodia. We found their store and were deeply inspired by the words on their sign that has stayed with me ever since.
Upon my return to Canada, I couldn’t shake those two incidents from my mind. At first, I thought this couldn’t possibly happen here in Canada. However, once I started investigating, I discovered that human trafficking was very prevalent indeed.
My research culminated in the organization of an event at St. James’s Cathedral in Toronto. Thanks to the incredible support of multiple individuals and organizations involved, the event exceeded our expectations as we had almost double the expected turnout.
At that time, we had no official name or logo nor any social media presence for our initiative against human trafficking; but we continued moving forward with our mission. Since then, we’ve participated in other events like Toronto City Hall’s Fight Against Human Trafficking initiative and have gained more traction within the community.
And so, our journey against human trafficking continues… Stay tuned for the next chapter in our story.
