kite.pride – a second wind for kites & people The social impact business that offers safe employment for ex-victims of the sex industry. kite.pride
upcycles used kites by turning them into stunning unique fashion products. Designed to make a social
impact: environmentally, ethically, and sustainably.
„Rarely in life do we get to simultaneously help the environment, foster creativity, and give someone a
new start. We have found a way to do all three through our new social business. Our employees are ex-
victims of the sex industry making their way back into the workforce through this safe environment!“
Tabea and Matthias, founders & co-owners of A.I.R Ltd. - kite.pride.
UPCYCLING KITES kite.pride adds value to high performance materials that were heading for the trash and value to the
lives of people in need of new hope. kite.pride upcycles used kites into trendy, lightweight, durable and
beautiful products made with you in mind. We give a free bag to every kitesurfer donating a broken
kite.
TO DESIGN TRENDY PRODUCTS The idea originated when Rebekka Federer, a young kitesurfer in Silvaplana Switzerland, began
designing products out of broken kite sails and kite.pride was born. Since she wanted to do a bigger
impact than „just upcylcing“ she handed it to Tabea and Matthias Oppliger, the owner of the NGO
GlowbalAct and the social impact business A.I.R. Ltd. Since then they have been working on improving
the design, the products and their range with the goal of creating products everyone loves.
AND HELP PEOPLE (restore human lives) By creating jobs that boost people back into the work force, kite.pride supports men and women exiting
the sex industry as they learn to live a new life. kite.pride teaches their employees teamwork, reliability,
manufacturing, designing, and marketing while at the same time allowing them to work through past
trauma.
„I was born to make old and broken things beautiful“, one kite.pride employee told Tabea. „You have
shown me how, because you have made me whole and beautiful again.“
ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING According to International Labor Organization, each year 2.5 million people become victims of human
trafficking, with sexual exploitation being the most common form (76%, as stated in the UNODC Global
Report on Trafficking in Persons). Confirmation by the study of JIJ (Jerusalem Institute of Justice), nearly
12,000 women, men and children are identified as sex workers in Israel. More than 75% of the women
and more than 50% of the men shared their desire to leave the industry. However, financial debts and
lack of employable skills are siginificant barrieres to leaving prostitution. Those who do have a chance to leave the sex industry have countless hurdles starting a new way of life. Human trafficking causes high
rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression.“It is not unusual for survivors to fall back
into trafficking situations, because they lack resources, language skills or education, and it is a struggle
for many survivors to build successful careers,” says Evelyn Chumbow interviewed by CNN. Being an
anti-trafficking survivor activist and member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, she says
that “There are times when I feel like screaming, on behalf of all human trafficking survivors, ‘We need
jobs, not pity!’” And that is exactly what A.I.R. - kite.pride offers. SOURCES International Labour Organization http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/lang--en/index.htm 2016 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/2016_Global_Report_on_Trafficking_in_Persons.pdf JIJ (Jerusalem Institute of Justice) http://www.glowbalact.com/media/2245/jij-prostitution-en.pdf CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/02/opinions/evelyn-chumbow-trafficking-survivor-jobs/index.html kite.pride – BEHIND THE NAME “There’s a new sense of pride about what they do,” says Matt, “creating a handmade design that is
completely unique, colorful & that you’re proud of. Customers walk in and they love it! There’s an
entirely new sense of pride about your life. That’s why it is called kite.pride.”
THE FOUNDERS: Tabea & Matthias Oppliger Tabea and Matthias Oppliger founded Glowbalact - Swiss Non-Governmental organization in
2011, which is actively committed to the goal of ending modern day slavery. In 2014, they relocated
with their family to Tel Aviv, expanding Glowbalact’s activity by creating A.I.R. Ltd. (Act Inspire Restore),
a social impact business to support the second step of exiting prostitution and reentering society as
independent and confident human beings.
Tabea Oppliger, Matthias Oppliger
[email protected] +972 (0)54-7050560
A.I.R. Ltd., Shoken St 11, 6606319 Tel Aviv-Yafo
www.kitepride.com www.instagram.com/air_kitepride
www.facebook.com/kite.pride.madebyair
www.youtube.com/channel/UCKaIxf8eSRcSc_K22rMZp5Q