It was the year 1874, we we first started our fight for freedom. Okay seriously now. Nonetheless, ALL4FREEDOM did not just pop-up out of nowhere and for some, the sincere story behind it all, could be even more impressive as the present and our FREEDOM4ALL future. Take a trip back to where it all began and beyond. Not only do you get to know and understand us better. But you'll become aware in a way the initiators initially became aware of the importance of freedom and the exceptional seeds that once strengthened them to change society and start this success story. Similarly, such seeds shall now sincerely soak and strive your spirit and awaken your awareness and your Himalayan high-altitude altruistic aspiration.

Originally, ALL4FREEDOM is a Dutch initiative, founded in Amsterdam, which might not be a mere coincidence. For centuries, the country and city are famous for their freedom, tolerance, open-mindedness and positive progression. Amsterdam, as a city and a living example to those still stuck and skeptic, shall soon spread and swing its wings out to the awakening world of the first foreign followers ready to unfold their freedom-filled future, worldwide wealth and happiness. In addition, The Netherlands is the ideal try-out land for lancing new innovations and (television) concepts, housing i.e. The International Court of Justice in The Hague. Everything starts with awareness, likewise ALL4FREEDOM and her predecessor, Project Aware, whose aim, a little different than ALL4FREEDOM, was to create awareness more than the subsequent action through various try-out projects. To be honest, everything started even more way back, when, during a trip along the Himalayas, the two initiators, Jeroen and Atreya became aware of the importance of freedom and founded Project Aware in order to evoke a similar process of awareness, of which the action-based ALL4FREEDOM is now the logical follow-up.

For those of you who are not quite familiar with where we come from, here is some more info Project Aware. During the Project Aware period, and as the name already suggests, the organization mainly focused on awareness. Via various people-focused projects, the organization mainly focused on awareness and Project Aware asked her target audience what freedom meant and how important this was for them.

These were the try-out years, prior to ALL4FREEDOM, realized completely without donations, government grants and sponsor money. Yes, together we did all that and more and collectively we now take the next step! If just two people were capable of all this in their spare time, you can imagine what will happen if they could place the cause first, fully focus and add hundreds and thousands of individuals from around the globe. 

Throughout the centuries, millions of people have sacrificed their lives for freedom. This is why ALL4FREEDOM now appeals to us all to end all human rights violations for once and for all. Let us make it our legacy to turn torture and oppression into history. ALL4FREEDOM is an initiative of the Spanish Atreya from Barcelona and her Dutch partner Jeroen in Amsterdam. During a trip to Nepal and Northern India, they became the first superheroes when they agreed not to plan more than the plane and let life lead them.

{slider title="Show Less" title-closed="Show More" alias="more-less" open="false"}

And this is exactly what happened, they were drawn to particularly peaceful people with welcoming auras and with whom even western Atreya and Jeroen could connect and feel their inner freedom and ease of minds. Thus, by coincidence, over and over again, they bumped into Buddhist Tibetan refugees who live in exile across the Chinese – Nepalese border areas. Ever since the Chinese Tibet's takeover by the Chinese in 1949, these Tibetan people feel that they have lost their freedom and many have fled 4FREEDOM and left their beloved country and the corresponding oppression. As two unwary non-Buddhist backpackers, Atreya and Jeroen came across the traditional Tibetan lifestyle and found freedom among refugees in the form of a fine human warmth, which they had never felt before. These refugees told them so many stirring stories about the torment and torture of the Tibetan people, human rights violations of the worst possible kind and the total destruction of their devoted and unique Tibetan culture. At least as impressive and touching was the Tibetan 'spirit', a combination of compassion, mind- and resilience, inner freedom and the qualities more or less the result from meditation. No doubt about it. How these people seemed free from suffering and dedicated to doing good, they were the modern day superheroes. Being bathed in Buddhism by meditational masters, Jeroen and Atreya soon shifted their perspective through concentration and careful analysis of the mind. These special encounters gave Atreya and Jeroen something super-heroic, unforgettable and very valuable.

Back in Amsterdam, these two changed individuals bring back home Buddhism, as well as superb superhero stories, in-erasable epic experiences and traditional techniques that Jeroen and Atreya can easily apply whenever life treats them unfair. Lasting was the awareness and importance and vulnerability of freedom and the connection between the so-called, two freedoms: the external/outer freedom (i.e. human rights and the right to be yourself/BSUR) and the opposite internal/inner freedom (such as being free from stress, worries and other mind-bobbling issues). Once back in The Netherlands, Amsterdam's fine freedom felt like a warm welcome, yet, it was hard to adjust to the hustle and bustle of daily life in a much more materialistic, luxurious and not-so super-heroic 'selfish' society. Their travel experiences made it impossible to forget the power of those positive people and their correspondingly super sad situation. Unfortunately, and similar to Atreya and Jeroen, before they had made their trip, the majority in Europe were not so aware or familiar with the value of freedom or the hardships of the Tibetan people. In addition, Jeroen and Atreya discovered that the media attention and political agendas on this topic were way too weak or either absolutely absent. It came as a surprise for ALL4FREEDOM's two initiators that so little was known of a country the size of Western Europe oppressed by the world's superpower, we all do business with as usual. Furthermore, within the fine freedom of, for example, Barcelona and Amsterdam, Jeroen and Atreya soon noticed a constant suffering on every corner, in each and every household and head, so often filled with fear, stress, anger, etc. So many of their friends and family had it all but weren't happy. However, our newly arrived and trained-to-be superheroes had just come from communities without craving or aversion, living the moment, mindful from meditational moment to meditational moment and although they lived in poverty and lack of liberty, they were happy, peaceful and free. Jeroen and Atreya now knew both worlds, west and east, freedom from within and a freedom stolen by bad-guys, outside invaders bringing oppression from above to tirelessly test Tibetan love. Such superhero, meditative and memorable moments could not be kept to themselves and had to spread to those in need and those who would want to hear it. All the aforementioned laid the path of personal and global liberation and inspired them to take action. Their newly-found inner freedom was more than welcome here, which is why Jeroen and Atreya continued their compassion, mindfulness and meditational practice, for themselves, for all those around them, for the world, 4FREEDOM and FREEDOM4ALL!

From that very freedom-valuing 'vacation' onwards, nothing was never/no longer going to be as it was or as Jeroen and Atreya wanted it to be. Reality had roared its ugly head and it was up to us to change what lies ahead. After their personal 'Tibetan' transformation, it was time for change. Jeroen and Atreya quit their jobs, as there was no time and place for dominating and demanding careers, nor cook and clean, kids, a car-wash and all other somewhat small, superficial, non-superhero and/or self-centred things so-called normal people tend to continuously cling to. Their lives were no longer lost and had a common cause. The sowed superhero seeds started flourishing into an unavoidable focus 4FREEDOM and needed space and to be set free. Jeroen and Atreya sat together and talked about what they were to do now, now that they fully valued freedom over all. What if we could offer a similar process of awareness to all those who did not yet know?

Next, they founded Project Aware and found it of utmost importance to inspire others in order stimulate a similar somewhat super-heroic awareness process. The idea for Project Aware and Buddhist practice was born. Perhaps better said, these ideas became their life's missions. Initiator and singer-songwriter Atreya wrote a special song for the cause. After the recordings, a matching video clip and radio- and TV-commercials followed. This very successful promotional campaign, where almost all the largest national media joined in altruistic cooperation, boosted Project Aware's 'everything starts with awareness' name and fame, number of supporters and promising projects. All former 4FREEDOM projects and planted Project Aware potential, paved the way and created this community, which could (at least try to) tilt freedom's fate to the favourable side. Thus, the old and new 4FREEDOM projects and all positive people of this planet now unite under the umbrella of IAM4FREEDOM, ALL4FREEDOM, 4FREEDOM and FREEDOM4ALL. After a short meditational moment of awareness, everybody will have to agree, what had happened to the Tibetans and i.e. in Europe during the Second World War and/or on some school playground, should never happen again and certainly not on a global scale. At least, some Tibetans had managed to cross the Himalayan mountain range, flee for freedom and get the word out but what if some superpower or greedy government would perfectly plan to oppress the people of this planet. Where would we go, to the moon? The rest is history... or should we say, the present, future and/or you.

Initiators and superheroes, Jeroen and Atreya, met precious Pijo in Nepal. Suddenly, she stood there, shining like some silent superstar in a small alley between two crumbling buildings. Pijo lives in her own world and is unable to express herself. Or at least that can be your first impression but in Nepal nothing is what it seems and she is a special superhero. One with special powers seen only by those who see and simply stand in her strength and silence long or intense enough. As the oppressed on the other side of the Himalayas, she too still seems imprisoned in her own mind. It is said that, after her refuge, she refuses to talk. Jeroen and Atreya gave her that balloon and as you can see, she literally lit up with the most enlightening and fascinating facial expression. Actually, Pijo is not quite so still as she looks, when you look long enough, you'll see that this little meditative mascot continuously screams for attention, as Pijo is the voice of their silence… In order to capture her innocence, and that magic moment, forever and 4FREEDOM, Jeroen and Atreya, shot this picture of a young superhero, which would serve as the very first Project Aware promotional logo.