he beauty of a hand woven carpet is inextricably linked to the people who make it. Yet today approximately 250,000 children weave the rugs that adorn North American and European homes. RugMark, the organization behind the GoodWeave certification program, gives these children hope. The GoodWeave child-labor-free certification program not only rescues and educates thousands of child laborers, it is transforming the industry that impacts them.
Faces of Freedom offers a look into the heart of that transformation. This traveling photo exhibition, sponsored by RugMark and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, takes you behind the looms and inside the carpet factories of South Asia. The images, captured by photo documentarian, filmmaker and human rights educator U. Roberto Romano, are displayed in their entirety on this website. They will connect you to the positive, real-life difference that the GoodWeave program is making - and we hope that they inspire you to take action.
Upcoming Events
| Date | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
| November 19, 2009 - July 31, 2010 | Miami International Airport Hosts Faces of Freedom | Miami, FL |
| June 10, 2010 - August 31, 2010 | Odegard Chicago Hosts Faces of Freedom | Chicago, IL |
| October 4 - 10, 2010 | Faces of Freedom Showcased at the Michael Forsberg Gallery | Lincoln, Neb. |
| October 8, 2010 - January 1, 2011 | GoodWeave Among NGOs Featured in "Invisible: Slavery Today" | Cincinnati, Ohio |
Past Events
The Children's Theatre Company, the largest children's theater in North America, hosted Faces of Freedom throughout the running of the play Iqbal, the real-life story of a Pakistani carpet slave boy.
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Collections
- Child Labor
- Carpet Manufacturing and Inspection
- Rescue, Rehabilitation and Education
About the Photographer
U. Roberto Romano
Award-winning human rights educator, filmmaker and photographer U. Roberto Romano began his activism on the issue of child labor in 1995…
Read more…About RugMark
RugMark
, the organization responsible for implementing the GoodWeave certification program, works to end illegal child labor in the carpet industry and to offer educational opportunities to children in South Asia. The GoodWeave label is your best assurance that no illegal child labor was used in the making of a carpet or rug. Since RugMark's founding, the number of South Asian children trapped in illegal and exploitative carpet-making work has dropped from 1 million to 250,000. Now more children are going to school and living with hope for the future.About UNICEF
For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world's leading international children's organization, working in over 150 countries to address the ongoing problems that contribute to child mortality. UNICEF provides lifesaving nutrition, clean water, education, protection and emergency response saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. While millions of children die every year of preventable causes like dehydration, upper respiratory infections and measles, UNICEF, with the support of partnering organizations and donors alike, has the global experience, resources and reach to give children the best hope of survival.
About P&G
Faces of Freedom is made possible through funding from P&G's Live, Learn and Thrive program. P&G is committed to focusing its charitable contributions and sustainability efforts on a single cause: improving life for children in need, ages 0-13, through its corporate cause, P&G Live, Learn and Thrive. In fact, because of this focus, P&G programs have already have helped improve life for more than 40 million children in need around the world.
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