Belinda R

Hi, I’m Belinda -

The author and photographer for Wildflowers, a coffee table book that uses a blend of photography and narrative to share the inspiring stories of survivors of human trafficking in the Philippines. The Wildflowers project was born out of a burning passion to make an impact – a real impact – in the fight against human trafficking. 

Slavery is as big a problem today as it has ever been, and sadly, in many ways we don't even realise, we are part of the problem.

The good news? We can be part of the solution. 

Wildflowers took its name from the women and girls who feature in its pages who’ve had the dirt heaped upon them again and again in life, but have managed to thrive in the wildest, most unforgiving conditions. There are millions of stories like theirs, They need to be heard - so we listened.

We didn’t just listen to the traumatic things that happened, which rightfully need to be acknowledged, but we heard them talk about their sweet childhood memories and their future hopes. Hopes made possible thanks to a number of key organisations who have worked long and hard at taking down the billion-dollar trade of modern slavery.

We didn’t just listen, we also captured photos. Anonymous photos that retain a woman’s dignity, so they don’t tie in her past trauma to her future identity. Empowering photos that show her strength, her peace, her joy and freedom. Photos of hope.

And now those stories are almost ready for you to hear and see. But they won't be ready without the support of everyday people like you and me who want to make an impact – a real impact in this world.

By pre-ordering a copy of Wildflowers or choosing one of our many rewards options, you not only give a voice to these women, you support the organisations that have supported them. Organisations who prevent, educate, advocate, rescue, rehabilitate and employ survivors – the ones making tangible progress on the ground against trafficking. Without your support, creating this space for hope won't become a reality. Their stories won’t be heard, their photos won’t be seen, and we’ll still be part of the problem.

So don’t wait, buy a book + fight slavery.

OK, so what do we need and what do you get?

The short answer: a minimum of $17,000 in crowdfunding to cover the costs for book designers Mezzanine Media to complete the layout and typesetting (we already have the overall design developed), give the green light for the first print run of 500, and get those books into your hands and onto your coffee tables!

From there, we’ll set a couple of stretch goals to raise more profits from the sales which will go to the anti-trafficking organisations featured in Wildflowers. Who doesn’t love a good stretch???

A little more detail:

We’ll start with a print run of 500 books. The total costs are laid out below:

• Professional design and typesetting = $17,000
• Printing / $12 per book = $6,000
• Postage / $10 per book = $5,000
• Pozible’s fees = ~7.25% in total for platform and payment fees

Excitingly, thanks to a couple of generous early donors, we’ve already got $13,000 to kick us off! So, minus our early donations, the total costs would be $16,087.50 for 500 books.

This equates to a minimum cost of ~$32 per book. But in the spirit of making a tangible impact, we are setting the price at $59, so that $27 of every purchase goes towards the below organisations featured in Wildflowers plus a small seed-fund to support future anti-trafficking initiatives:

• Voice of the Free - $6 per book will go towards running safe homes, expanding school and community iFight education programs, and converting land near their Manila safe home into a farm for the survivor therapy and skills development.
• International Justice Mission - $6 per book will help pay the salary and training of a lawyer to represent survivors in the Philippines justice system as well as programs to train local law enforcement to identify and act on local trafficking activities. 
• 10 Thousand Windows -$6 per book will contribute towards college scholarships and job readiness training programs in Cebu as windows of opportunity for survivors and those at risk of trafficking.
• Renewsiya Foundation - $6 per book will help support the rollout of the holistic Renewsiya survivor training and wellness program, initially trialled with incredible success at partner organisation, Regenesys BPO.
• Wildflowers seed fund for future initiatives - $3 per book will be set aside for future initiatives, such as a “where are they now” survivor follow up series, podcast series, or scholarship for an aspiring leader in the anti-trafficking space.

To achieve the above, part way through the campaign we will set a stretch goal of $29,500 after we cover our minimum costs. That’s 500 books sold @ $59 a copy. OR you might feel compelled to go further than buying just one copy– and that’s where our rewards come in!

Want rewards? Well, read on…

To make sure we cater for the various levels of support that you, our backers are keen to show, we're giving you a number of reward options, so you can choose the level that's right for you. When you increase your level of backing and choose a higher reward, more funds will go towards the impactful work of the organisations in Wildflowers. Higher rewards = higher impact! Don't forget - you can order multiple rewards, and there's also a donation option if you'd like to chip in a little more so we reach our target sooner. 

• $5 gets your name featured on our "thank-you wall" at the book launch (early 2020 in Sydney)
• $10 gets you a shout-out on our social media platforms
• $59 gets you one hot-off-the-press copy of Wildflowers, delivery included – or for those in Sydney, the option of an invitation to our book launch where I can personally hand it to you (early 2020 in Sydney)
• $79 gets you a signed copy of Wildflowers
• $99 gets you a signed copy plus one beautiful black and white limited-edition photo print from our Wildflowers series
• $129 gets you a twin pack of Wildflowers – one signed, the other for you to write in and share with a friend, leave in a local coffee shop, or place in your AirBnB, workplace or school foyer
• $149 gets you the twin pack of Wildflowers plus one limited edition print
• $1,000 gets you an acknowledgement in the front pages of Wildflowers plus 5 signed copies and 2 limited edition prints
• $10,000 gets you an intimate dinner at a top restaurant in Sydney with Wildflowers author Belinda Ramirez and a CEO of one of our featured anti-trafficking organisations. Plus you’ll receive 20 copies of the book including the first one off the press, as well as 8 limited edition prints and a dedication in the front pages.
• Donations > $10,000 will need to be arranged separately - please reach out and we can talk about an exclusive Wildflowers VIP package that’s tailored just for you!

Businesses - you can get involved further by arranging for a specialised corporate pre-order through the campaign, or by inviting Belinda and one of our partner organisations to your event. Reach out to Belinda to find out more: [email protected] | +61 423 055 789. 

Let's be real about the risks & challenges

The main challenges for this project will be timing and funding. Timing as I’ll be polishing off the content in parallel with this campaign, and plan to get it complete by the end of the year. Then we have the final typsetting process and printing process which both take – you know it – time. This means the book should be ready for launch around March/ April 2020

Funding, since we’ve set an ambitious goal to fund the production of 500 books, and if we don’t hit that goal, we don't receive any funds!

Other ways you can help

Can’t contribute financially but still want to help the cause? We’d absolutely love you to share about the campaign with your personal, social and professional networks – using both personalised messages and social media posts - you never know who might be in your network who's looking for something just like this as a way to give back. Perhaps you know of a conference or event coming up that could do with an inspiring speaker – Belinda would love to come along and speak! Regardless of how you do it, thanks for joining the Wildflowers campaign. It’s so wonderful to have you on our team.

Wildflowers: your statement piece. 

Wildflowers is unlike anything else on book shelves or coffee tables around the world today. What goes on yours says a lot about you, what’s important to you and what you want others to see. By purchasing a copy for your table and another’s, you’ve shown that you value and stand for something that not only matters but makes a difference. You are bringing to light the beautiful stories and images of women who were once kept in the dark.

When people notice your copy of the book, you can tell them that your purchase means that a lawyer in the Philippines is now being paid a salary and trained up to fight for justice in the courts, that a piece of land has now been cleared to develop a farm at a safe home in Manila, and that an 18 year old girl in Cebu has now received a scholarship to complete her business degree so she can one day fulfil her dream of running her own boutique hotel.

Not enough impact? Take 30 seconds to flip through the pages with them, show them the stories and photos, and where they can find out about the anti-trafficking organisations and everyday heroes working in them. Make the moment count, and you may just inspire the next catalyst for change.