If you ask someone: "Where are you from?", you often get a short answer. But not from Tabea Oppliger!
Born in 1977 to Swiss parents, she grew up in Papua New Guinea. For the first 16 years of her life, she spoke practically only Pidgin-English and English. She then lived in Switzerland for twenty years, advancing her professional career, marrying, and having three children.
In her tireless fight for justice and freedom, Tabea founded "GlowbalAct," a Swiss charity dedicated to the abolition of modern slavery and human trafficking.
In 2014, Tabea and her family moved to Tel Aviv, Israel. Together with her husband, she co-founded a social enterprise «KitePride Tel Aviv» and a local Israeli nonprofit «Hope Center» with a mission to help people escape the sex trade and exploitation.
GlowbalAct was founded by Tabea Oppliger in 2011 after a heart-piercing encounter with a prostitute ignited her passion to see justice for this population. Tabea was on her way to a lecture on forced prostitution with her newborn in a sling when a woman approached her and asked in broken German if she could kiss her daughter. The skimpily dressed lady reeked of alcohol and her swollen lips were smeared with bright red lipstick. Tabea's mind gave way to her heart and the prostitute burst into tears as she pressed her lips on the baby's head. "I have three children of my own, but I do not know where they are," she stammered.
This woman was one of the countless victims who had been offered a promising job in Switzerland so she could sustain her family back home. But instead of stepping into what she believed to be a bright future, her nightmare began and the shame was too great for her to ever face her family again.
Tabea left this woman in the pouring rain, her mind reeling.
She then founded the non-profit GlowbalAct. It started with a team visiting the women on the streets and in the brothels in Zurich and offering them massages. The idea behind it: Every time these women were touched in prostitution, they were robbed of their dignity. But with every massage, Tabea placed value and dignity back on their bodies.
Through conversations with the women, one sentence stuck out to Tabea: "We don't need pity, we need jobs!" Fast forward to 2014, she and her husband moved to Tel Aviv and founded a social business, KitePride, giving jobs to people are ex-victims of forced labour and prostitution.
Don't we all like to scroll through the "highlight reels" of people's lives who we often don't even know? Filters hide flaws and shortcomings while making us lose connection to the raw, the real, and the relatable. In #nofilter Tabea Oppliger writes about how pioneering a dream involves blood, sweat, and tears. #nofilter is not just a hashtag, but a lifestyle and a calling.
Written from her life in Tel Aviv, Israel, a melting pot of different cultures, she shares her relentless commitment to helping exploited people with her social business "KitePride" and her non-profit organization "GlowbalAct". With each line in this book you will not only be inspired but challenged to jump off the sidelines and discover your own unique gift. Beginning simply with what is in your hands; making hashtags and dreams your reality.
"Don't wait until you're ready. You'll be waiting for the rest of your life." - Tabea Oppliger
Tabea Oppliger grew up in Papua New Guinea, the daughter of a Swiss couple. She then lived in Switzerland for twenty years developing both educationally and professionally. There she married Matthias and became the mother of three children. In her tireless pursuit of justice and freedom, Tabea founded "GlowbalAct", a charitable organization dedicated to the abolition of modern-day slavery. Since 2014, she and her family have lived in Tel Aviv, Israel, leading their social start-up business "KitePride".
Milk & Honey - Modern Israel is overflowing with an exciting mix of cultures, high-tech companies, groundbreaking scientific discoveries, artistic freedom and fusion cuisine. Tabea Oppliger is living in the middle of this melting pot in Tel Aviv. In this bilingual desk calendar, she provides unfiltered insights into the Israel of today, as well as wisdom that life in Israel has taught her.
