For the last few months, we have been working with an incredible woman — Finnish researcher, activist and ultra marathoner Emilia Lahti — who is on a journey to end the silence around domestic violence through her organization, Sisu Not Silence.
Sisu is a Finnish word that can be defined as what one needs to overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable.
Emilia was one of the hundreds of millions who experience violence at the hands of a domestic partner each year. She built this campaign to show fellow survivors that there’s a lot of life on the other side of trauma and to elevate the magnificent upstanders, women and men, who are working hard to create a better a world — a future free of violence and abundant of joy, peace and safety.
We will be joining Emilia, documenting her journey as she embarks on an ultra run of 50 marathons in 50 days across the entire country of New Zealand to drive awareness, and change the conversation around survivors of violence and those experiencing domestic violence firsthand.
I already know that ALL of you are an epic, caring force for good, so we need your help to bring this trailblazing campaign for nonviolence to life. To give this campaign the visibility and momentum that can ultimately transform it into a movement: share her story; share her message; and most importantly listen and hold a constant dialogue…end the silence.
Reaching our goal will be a long road. The huge, epic run of 1,500 miles will begin in the fall of 2017.
This year it is more important than ever that we celebrate healing, turning tragedy into hope, emotional pain into action mindset, and to all of us using whatever skills we have to make a difference. For Emilia, it’s about moving her body from point A to point B, being present for people as she fights for overcomers who are too often shamed into silence. There are so many wonderful humans out there!
Together we CAN turn barriers into frontiers and create a better world.
For more Information on Emilia and the campaign please visit:
Website: http://www.emilialahti.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sisunotsilence
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sisu_lab/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmiliaLahti
Thank you so much for all of your support!
Originally published at medium.com