What are these women being rescued TO?
It’s one thing to help women escape physical and sexual enslavement, but it’s another thing to see them through to sustainable independence—to see them realize TRUE FREEDOM.
Human trafficking for sexual and labor exploitation is a worldwide issue that affects all of us. Our friends at Free The Girls launched their pilot program in Mozambique in 2011, offering a unique model to provide safe economic opportunity for victims of trafficking. Their program supports holistic reintegration to allow for economic, emotional, and physical freedom as well as the freedom to build a bright future.
How do they do it? By helping women start bra-selling businesses.
First, we will collect new or gently used bras.
Secondly, we will be raising $8,000 to support Free The Girls’ Inheritance Project.
WHY BRAS? Women who have escaped trafficking need a way to support themselves (pun intended). During a two-year program, women find safety for themselves and their children, receive physical and mental healthcare, and gain job skills to create a sustainable income. Selling second hand clothing is a lucrative private sector enterprise in parts of the developing world. We have a goal of collecting 50 bras as a community to help entrepreneurial mamas in Mozambique start their businesses.
For the second part, we will help eight women who have completed the program to take the next step through the Inheritance Project. In order to receive a grant from the Inheritance Project, the women must raise $500 themselves. This means that not only are they supporting their families’ daily expenses, they have created savings—in a country where the average citizen makes approximately $900(US) a year, this is a huge accomplishment.
Once a woman raises her portion, Free The Girls grants a double match of $1,000. With this money, the woman can choose to buy land, build a house, or start her university education. Free The Girls staff members walk through this process to ensure the women do not fall prey to people who would want to take advantage of them. For women who have been shunned by their families and communities because of their history, this opportunity is life-saving.
*Click here to read more about the Poverty Probability Index.
Secondly, we want you to give toward the Inheritance Project, so we can help eight women move from surviving to thriving. If you want to start your own online Love Club to recruit your friends to give, choose the "Become a Fundraiser" option.
We love this model because it so closely aligns with our desire to see relief, restoration, and development happening for women around the world. Our friends at Free The Girls have walked through the relief stage of meeting immediate needs, and we get the chance to help these women walk through the restoration phase—when they take hold of their destiny and begin to rely less on outside help. This is how development happens.
As always, all donations are 100% tax-deductible and go directly to this project. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Let's do this, Mamas!