Currently in the world there are 40 million people involved in human trafficking. About one in four of those trafficked are children and this horrible industry generates about $150 billion a year. (Dressember, 2020). Human trafficking is an awful reality for too many that could take place next door to your own home without you even being aware. Every person deserves basic human rights, and though this dark topic can be uncomfortable and hard to believe, the only way to put an end to this oppression and abuse is to bring it into the light. We at Mikoleon have always cared about the welfare of our artisans, employees and the overall impact that we are having on the world. We are thrilled to again partner with Dressember, as our values beautifully align with its mission, which is to fight for the dignity of all people, leading to the protection and freedom of millions. Dressember does this by supporting prevention, intervention, and protection programs for survivors of human trafficking around the world. What is Dressember? Dressember is an organization created in 2013 by Blythe Hill. Throughout the years, she has linked arms with thousands of other advocates on the same mission, which is to end human trafficking. Together, they have raised over $10 million to fight human trafficking around the world. The way that this organization invites people to get involved is by implementing a “Dressember challenge,” which encourages advocates to wear a dress or tie every day during the month of December. The idea is that by dressing a specific way, one can use that platform to be vocal about the Dressember mission alongside gathering donations to put an end to human trafficking. What Mikoleon is Doing This year, Mikoleon has uniquely designed four dresses for Dressember to promote this incredible mission. This mini collection consists of two adult women dresses and two child sized dresses. These garments are made with footloomed fabric, crafted by our artisans and sewn in an ethical slow fashion manner by our seamstresses. Created with love, these dresses can be a symbol for respect, family and human rights. What more powerful a way is there to join this challenge of wearing a dress for 31 days than to have a unique artisan crafted garment, that not only is providing needed opportunities to our Miko family in Guatemala, but 20% of the sales proceeds are funding two full rescue operations for someone who is captured by the harms of human trafficking! By inviting our Miko family (we’re talking about you!) to participate in the Dressember challenge, we call all to join us in fighting this injustice together. We truly believe that #YouCanDoAnythingInADress and we are proud to partner with such an incredible organization. We hope you feel the love from these dresses as much as we do and that they inspire you to join the cause! With love, The Mikoleon Team DONATE NOW Ways you can get involved! Purchase a Mikoleon “Dressember” dress and know that 20% of those proceeds are directly going to a rescue mission! Help us reach our goal to raise $15,000 for Dressember! Post a picture of yourself on Instagram wearing a Mikoleon “Dressember” dress and tag us and our partner @mikoleonkids and @dressember. Use the hashtag #MikoAdvocates to be featured on the Mikoleon Instagram as we support the cause together! Become an advocate to end human trafficking on Dressember.org To learn more, go to www.dressember.org