Vivienne Harr: Freeing child slaves

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Vivienne HarrVivienne Harr discusses her efforts to free 500 children from slavery by selling lemonade.

One simple photo. That’s all it took to inspire a young girl to take a stand against child slavery.  Vivienne Harr was only eight years old when her parents showed her a book with images documenting modern slavery. The harrowing image of two young Himalayan brothers caught her eye and sparked the idea that every child, around the globe, deserved to have a real childhood.

“When you’re eight, you don’t think of all the obstacles in your way,” said Harr. “You just see the finish line and you’re just like ‘Ya, ya, we can do that.’”

Her goal? To raise $100,000 to free 500 children from slavery. And she’d do it by selling, what else? Lemonade.

Vivienne Harr: Freeing child slaves

Vivienne Harr was only eight years old when her parents showed her a book with images documenting modern slavery. The harrowing image of two young Himalayan brothers caught her eye and sparked the idea that every child, around the globe, deserved to have a real childhood.

That was three years ago. Today, the 11-year-old is founder of Make A Stand, a full-fledged bottled beverage company that’s donated to charities across the globe.

In addition to bottling and selling her own lemonade online and at retail stores, she has written a children’s book and she’s behind the creation of a philanthropic crowdfunding platform, thanks to a little help from her dad.

“If you really believe in your child and the magic in them,” said Eric Harr. “They can do extraordinary things.”

Mike Walter sits down with Vivienne Harr, and her father Eric Harr, to talk about turning “compassion into action.”

Follow Vivienne on Twitter: @VivienneHarr