Letting Curiosity Lead The Way
No one is more curious than a three-year-old. With them, it’s a cascade of “why” after “why” as they work to make sense of the world. Comically enough, companies like Toyota do this same thing. The “Five Why’s” is a business practice designed to get to the root of the problem, and it does it by embracing curiosity and asking, “why?”
This concept of finding the root problem is exactly what drew me into the work we’re doing at Child Freedom Coalition.
The problem, while incredibly complex, has an obvious root cause- the buying and selling of people is firmly rooted in poverty and powerlessness. Rescuing a child makes an incredible impact, but it doesn’t attack the root issue or protect other children from predators. So, we rescue kids, but we don’t stop at that. Our team works with local law enforcement to shut down businesses illegally operating with slave labor.
My friend and CFC donor, Brian, recently called me after seeing the new movie about trafficking, “The Sound of Freedom,” and he had a bunch of questions.
He has been a donor for several years, and he asked, “what can I do beyond giving money?” He asked questions about what he could do to help more. We talked through some possibilities, like sharing information with his network and ways he could partner or mirror what some local organizations are doing.
We talked about the challenges of working with church missions committees and grant-making organizations—and the whole time, I was so thankful to be talking to someone willing to ask and think outside of the box.
We came up with some great ideas, and I learned that Brian and other donors like him are willing to go above and beyond. I share that story because it isn’t enough to be curious. A person has to take action, and Brian eagerly wanted to do that.
As we embrace the season of thankfulness and gratitude, I ask you to follow Brian’s lead. Learn from that inquisitive child and invite curiosity into your life. You'll be better for it. And you just might change the world.
In safety, the rescued kids can risk exploring curiosity. What follows is a beautiful thing to watch. Unbridled imagination, hard-won discovery, absolute delight, and pure hope. They uncover their interests, their joys, and the colorful tapestry of their own personalities. On our last visit to The Children's Home, we got to sit down and chat with the kids. We asked them questions and listened to what they had to share.
Some of their answers challenged us, others encouraged us, and a few caught us off guard in the most wonderful way.
We strive to instill trust. To operate authentically both internally and externally. To be an organization you can rely on to bring you the information you want before you have to ask. To build a culture of honor where we celebrate ideas and wrestle with challenging topics together.
To commit to yearly public audits that keep us honest and on the path to far-reaching impact. To cling tightly to the 100% Model, sending every penny of every public donation to the kids so you can give with confidence. So together, we can end human trafficking forever.