Some of you might have heard of the Comic Creators for Freedom project. It started in 2010 and it`s returned every year since. It`s a fundraiser project to raise money to fight human trafficking, which is a fancy word for modern slavery. More than 100 comic creators come together to make a giant wallpaper that people can download if they donate to the cause. All money will go towards Love 146. An organisation that works on prevention, spreading awareness, but also on survivor care.
This years` theme is “awkward school photos” and I had a blast drawing Niels from the Janaija comic as a teen, with all the puberty problems that come with that:
This year was the first time we could send in male characters, which was convenient because I had already drawn all the female characters of my main cast of Janaija. Human trafficking doesn`t only affect girls, so we could send in every character we liked.
I was planning on making a drawing of one of my Reminiscence characters, but Niels felt left out. He hates human trafficking as much as the others so he was glad he could participate as well, even if that meant sending in his most awkward school photo.
Action: if you`re a comic creator, consider sending in one of your characters to be included on the wallpaper. The deadline is the 22nd of November.
If you don`t have a comic, consider spreading the word about this project to comic artists you know and to other people who could create some buzz around the subject and the project. And keep your eyes peeled for the 2nd of December, when the drive goes live.
I think that if we come together, we can make a difference, even if it`s one person at a time, everyone has the right to be free.
