BookS
Coming soon
AWARds
Mother Teresa Memorial Award
Alezandra Russell is the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Mother Teresa Memorial Award through the Harmony Foundation. The Harmony Foundation along with patrons like Mahesh Bhatt (eminent filmmaker), P.C. Thomas (former Union Minister), Tushar Gandhi (great grand-son of Mahatma Gandhi) and Advocate Mihir Desai (Senior Counsel High Court) hosts the prestigious Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice to felicitate selfless and intrepid individuals and organizations who have channelized all of their energies and creativities towards social justice.
The Award which is the only one endorsed by Sr. Prema, the Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, Kolkata was instituted in the memory of Mother Teresa in the year 2005 who was canonized a Saint by Pope Francis in the Vatican. A few of the previous recipients of this prestigious Award have been Ms. Malala Yousufzai, the Nobel laureate who has become a global icon for the education of the girl child, H.H. The Dalai Lama, current Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo; Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir Mohamad; former Deputy Speaker of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords Baroness Caroline Cox and Aid Groups like Medecins Sans Frontieres (commonly known as Doctors Without Borders), the largest volunteer medical organization worldwide, and White Helmets, which provided aid to war-ravaged Syria.
Press
BANGKOK POST
Among the increasingly long list of charities and non-governmental organisations operating in Thailand, Urban Light may be the only one that focuses solely on teenage boys working in the sex industry.
AL JAZEERA
Urban Light founder Alezandra Russell insists that sex trafficking "is now a multi-billion dollar industry that's affecting both genders". Her organisation provides health check-ups, counselling, education and housing programmes - and has reached 5,000 boys in seven years.
REUTERS
“The dialogue in Thailand - and around the world - is focused on women and girls, because the general perception is that boys are big and strong, and that they can take care of themselves,” said Russell, pointing out the deals being done.
BLINDFOLD MAGAZINE
Two qualities immediately struck me about her the moment that I met Alezandra Russell: an immensely empathetic wisdom and an unstoppable determination. We met at a fund-raiser in Malibu consumed with the joyfully chattering voices of a crowd ranging from high-school volunteers to distinguished philanthropists.
CONCIOUS MAGAZINE
Thankfully, Alezandra Russell, founder of Urban Light, a non-profit organization in Chiang Mai, Thailand, chose a different route—to face the problem head on. Since 2010, after selling her engagement and wedding rings for start-up money, Russell and her Urban Light team have worked tirelessly to spread the word on the human trafficking of boys and young men, particularly in Chiang Mai.
QUARTZ
Alezandra Russell, founder of anti-trafficking nonprofit Urban Light, described for Quartz what sweeping, oversimplified remarks get wrong. “The stereotype is that an old man goes to Thailand and engages in illicit sex with underage sex workers. That’s a narrative that we really need to shift,” Russell said. “It’s no longer just girls—it often includes boys and men. Real change happens when you have the full story.”
testimonials
“The desire and drive that Alezandra has to impact change in the lives of the Boys she serves at Urban Light is inspiring and contagious!”
“Your work and passion is seriously incredible.”
“You are an incredible story-teller.”
“Alezandra’s story and continued fight through all of the challenges that are thrown at her would make a life changing impact for anyone who hears her story, including myself. Her words and her heart are truly a gift to the world.”