A Hero's Call: The Inspirational Message from the Philippines for Change

At the moment, in the Philipines, there is a need for a call to peace more than ever. Following political movements which have disrupted the peace with corruption and martial law. For those of you who have been following the situation in the Philipines, you will understand this well.

This day of International Peace, Safia Minney, Managing Director of Po-Zu and founder of fair trade fashion pioneer People Tree, talks about an inspiring initiative called the Hero's Call and how this needs to remind us why we all need to be everyday heroes:

"People in power should do more to promote peace…or are they waiting for civil society to become the superheroes of social justice?

This years’ theme puts into focus the urgent need for respect, safety and dignity for everyone forced to flee their homes in search of a better life. A day to support and highlight solidarity with refugees and migrants as hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Syrian, Rohingya people and many others struggle for survival and the chance to rebuild their lives…people are looking at the causes and what they can do. 

One article that came to light as I was thinking about the connection between social justice, peace and the power of our day to day ethical choices was one about members of the geek community standing up against corruption on International Day of Peace.  They have decided to use their superpower to raise awareness and stand up to injustice.

Clearly, the dark forces and the forces of corruption and exploitation are all around us, these dark forces undermine peace.  In fact, they are an assault from every direction on Peace! They come in the form of unfair trade and unenforced regulations resulting in human rights violations, including modern slavery and environmental pollution and climate change. We expect our governments and corporations to use our taxes and custom to DELIVER on the UNs Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Ethical business has gone a long way to prove that Fair Trade and sustainable business practices ie: developing new supply chains for sustainable materials and delivering workers’ rights is possible and desirable - that despite the huge hurdles, people want to buy products made with respect for people and the planet. And each time they do they make a positive impact on those who are affected along the chain. 

Everyday actions have extraordinary power when they become the actions of the many. By buying ethical products that have respect for the people and the planet you are helping them to grow, and present a viable alternative to conventional business and the world we find ourselves living in today.

‘A Hero's Call” believes that all it takes is your voice and passion to empower people to care and to be courageous… and indeed the ‘villains are very real’.

In my experience the villains are human traffickers and criminal gangs, buyers working for companies driven by bosses looking only at maximising margins and profits at the cost of worker exploitation. We need businesses who are working to create a better society and facilitate economic growth for development and peace. 

We are calling on you to become a superhero and promote peace every day and raise your voice and be an activist for positive change."

We give huge thanks to the bravery of those in the Philippines standing up and inspiring us in this respect. Forever our most heartfelt respect. Find full information about the organisation and support their cause here: https://www.facebook.com/aheroscallph/

Please note, article amended October 2017.