Stretton raising funds for RAW book

Annah Stretton has kicked off a Pledge Me campaign to raise funds for a book that will shine a light on New Zealand women that the country has historically written off.

The Kiwi fashion designer’s head office Stretton Clothing co Ltd is based in Morrinsville.

Her passion for social enterprise began in 2014 when she founded the charity Reclaim Another Woman (RAW).

RAW is a social venture to work with recidivist female offenders to replace amplifying criminal activity with scholarship education and negotiated work.

RAW is fully endorsed and recognised by the Department of Corrections as a model that is successfully breaking a cycle of crime, drugs and violence.

They do this by targeting the mothers and their children, giving them visibility, acceptance and a choice for a different way of life.

‘‘At its very core, RAW is a story about restoring hope, selfbelief and unleashing human potential. We want our book to become a beacon of hope for struggling women everywhere,’’ Stretton said.

The goal is to raise $30,000 to fund the development, printing and distribution of the first RAW book.

Stretton said the book will explore why New Zealand society can’t correct the growing culture of recidivist behaviour and the high rate of imprisonment in this country.

She said the New Zealand public has little understanding of what it is like to be born in to a life of crime, violence, drugs and alcohol which is seen as ‘‘normal’’ to some as that’s what they’ve grown up around.

The book will give insight into this and look at why they continue to be happy to exist in these spaces that are punctuated by prison stays.

It will also document the journey of the RAW woman as stakeholders and they will share their thoughts on what we as a country need to do to make a change.

These stories are what New Zealand needs to hear, Stretton said.

Since its inception, the charity has helped 36 women throughout the country with their programme.

The Pledge Me campaign for the RAW book closes at midnight on April 20, 2018.

Donate: pledgeme.co.nz