Kazu & LiZhen's Family Leave

Ooof.... this is a vulnerable ask. As many of you know, LiZhen and I (Kazu) are expecting our first child this May! And, as many of you may know, we're both committed to no longer being employed by a nonprofit organization moving forward. AND, we want to maintain our commitment to the Gift Economy.

As "independent contractors" we do not have access to any sort of family leave policy. While we are supported in so many ways by so many communities, we both desperately want to take a minimum of three months off (and perhaps 6 months off for LiZhen) to bond with the new baby without worrying about work and making money.

It's strange asking for support for something that's not our "work." And we are so aware that others will never receive the support that we will at this time, and are deeply aware of the privilege we have to even be asking for this.

In our experience in the Gift Economy, we have realized that for many people, asking for and receiving support is way harder than giving it. And we always tell people that if someone is not there to receive a gift, the entire economy collapses. So receiving something is just as important as giving it. It provides the giver an opportunity to be generous, and in that way the binary between "giver" and "recipient" begins to dissolve and there is just an endless cycle of reciprocity.

And it's still a vulnerable thing for us to ask. Between supporting ourselves and a new baby, as well as other family members that rely on us financially, we need to earn roughly $6,000 a month, or $18,000 for a three-month leave. We have a limited amount of savings, so we are hoping to make up the difference here and raise between $15,000-$18,000.

It's an enormous ask, and we are committed to taking three months off even if we have to take out loans to do so. It feels like too important of a time period, and we have faith that no matter what we will be sustained, the baby will thrive and we will - collectively - continue to say yes to life moving forward.

Thank you SO MUCH for whatever you can contribute. We're so humbled and grateful for your support.