Youth Ambassadors against Human Trafficking cross the Holy Doors
By Sr Bernadette M. Reis, fsp
They come from Australia, Cameroon, Japan, Albania, Romania, Ukraine, Kenya, Mexico, Uruguay, Peru…. What do they have in common? They have joined forces with Talitha Kum, the international network of women religious combatting human trafficking, as Youth Ambassadors.
Their week of activities in Rome began on Saturday, February 1, with an orientation. On Sunday, they joined Pope Francis in Saint Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus.
Pilgrims of Hope, Walking in Dignity
On Monday, these Youth Ambassadors became Pilgrims of Hope. Early in the morning, they gathered at the end of Via Conciliazione to begin their pilgrimage toward Saint Peter’s Basilica.
This group of Pilgrims of Hope were walking not only physically, but also digitally. Armed with the Walking in Dignity App each of their pilgrim steps were counted. The footsteps that crossed the threshold of the Holy Door are contributing to the fight against human trafficking, and will benefit various Talitha Kum initiatives throughout the world.
After crossing the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Youth Ambassador Pilgrims of Hope also crossed the Holy Doors of Saint John Lateran and Saint Mary Major. They will cross the Holy Doors in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls on Thursday.
We dream of an end to human trafficking
Sr. Abby Avelino, Talitha Kum’s International Coordinator, says the Youth Ambassadors are taking advantage of the Jubilee Year and the Pilgrimage of Hope “to invite many people to walk with us, walking in dignity.”
This call goes out specifically during a week of activities leading up the 11th International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking celebrated on Saturday, February 8.
By using the Walking in Dignity App, the Youth Ambassadors can promote the App, increase their own awareness about human trafficking, while at the same time contributing to projects women religious have undertaken, Sr. Abby explains.
“Our sisters are working at the grassroots level—6,000 members of Talitha Kum…. While we Walk in Dignity, and walk with the people, we’re still mindful of how many people are still living in modern-day slavery—50 million is the estimate... As we walk together, we can dream; we can hope to end human trafficking.”
Walking in Dignity App
On January 30, 2024, Talitha Kum Youth Ambassadors launched the Walking in Dignity App. Through it, they invite their peers to get involved in caring for trafficked persons by walking together.
As their steps are counted and donated, they can unlock content, and discover how Talitha Kum performs its mission. In addition, steps that App users donate are matched by donors who support Talitha Kum’s mission.
According to Sr. Mary Barron, President of the International Union of Superiors General, who founded Talitha Kum almost 16 years ago, the Walking in Dignity App “makes information on this insidious reality more accessible to younger generations—which is important from both the accessibility perspective for generations who are most likely to be impacted by trafficking and also to engage the same generations with their social consciousness and activities to prevent and indeed eliminate trafficking around the world.”
Since being launched, users from 95 countries have donated approximately 200,000,000 steps, equaling 200,000 tokens, covering a distance of 52,120,000 kilometers. 9 projects associated with Talitha Kum reached the targeted goal of 150,000 tokens. The app can be downloaded on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
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