Masks for a Cause
Masks: who knew they would be around for so long? One day mask wearing will be a thing of the past, but in the meantime why not buy some masks that serve a greater purpose?
Our very own graduate student, Friska Munthe, from Indonesia, has an online business where she sells beautiful masks. These masks are hand crafted by women in Indonesia and made from traditional Batik fabrics. The artisans are women who have been sexually exploited and are at risk.
Friska is an incredible woman. She once made her way through a street that was shut down due to political unrest to meet NU’s president, Dr Castleberry so that she could share with him her passion to care for sexually exploited women in her country. Motivated by her faith and inability to unsee the evil of the sex industry, Friska started a safe house for women. It was not easy. She regularly fought against the police, mafia, and corrupt government. Sometimes women were reluctant to leave the street or struggling significantly with trauma.
Friska quickly realized that a safe house was not enough. She would need training in mental health counseling to properly care for women. So, in the middle of a global pandemic, she moved to Kirkland WA and started her master’s degree at Northwest University.
Friska admits that this calling is daunting, but she tells the story of another safe house manager in Indonesia. One time she asked him why he keeps a cage on the property; a cage which was used to hold children that were being sold into sexual slavery. His replied, that every time he starts to feel like quitting, he looks at the cage and thinks of rescuing just one more kid.
