Partner Programs Archives - Page 3 of 6 - Shared Hope International

June 19, 2017 by Susanna Bean

Catapulted to Success through Partnership

Every year Shared Hope works in partnership with domestic and international partners, giving them grants to fund their direct service work with survivors and offer them technical support. This year we are graduating 3 organizations from our grant program and want to share with you their journeys!

This week we are interviewing Stephanie Holt, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Mission 21! Watch for posts Wednesday and Friday featuring the rest of the Mission 21 story!

A note from Mission 21:

To our grant partners, Shared Hope International, you have invested and entrusted us to manage your gifts well, you have challenged us to always be better, to dream bigger and to do the most good. For that, we are forever grateful. Thank you.

Tell us a little about yourself and why you founded your organization.

In 2010, my husband Matt and I founded Mission 21 as a respond to a lack of services to youth in our state who were sexually exploited. It all started after we attended a human trafficking awareness class in Cedar Rapids, IA. During an 8 hour day of eye opening information and stories we left changed people. Coming home from that class, we wondered what we could possibly do to make any kind of difference. The least we could do was talk to our friends and family about what we had learned, and like many people, we thought that we could give financially to an existing program already doing good work. To our surprise there were no services for kids in our state under 16.

With the average age of entry into the sex trade being 12-13 years old this was unacceptable. We never thought that God’s plan was to use us to fill in that gap. I can’t say that I immediately jumped at the opportunity to say “yes” to God when he first called us to this work. But when I finally did say “yes”, I dove in deep and the fruit of that obedience and willingness is evident in the success of Mission 21 to this day.

Where were you/your organization when the grant began vs. where you are now?

Four years ago, 2013, was a pivotal moment for Mission 21. After three years of establishing ourselves in the city of Rochester, MN we had gained much momentum and a consistent presence within our community. It was this year that our formal partnership with Shared Hope International began. Shared Hope International invested $40,000 the first year of funding with Mission 21 in an idea – that specialized foster care for sexually exploited youth was something that was absolutely needed, not only in the state of Minnesota, but nationwide. Four years and $125,000 later, Mission 21 was catapulted to the forefront of a national change in the way states respond to youth in placement.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Mission 21 was catapulted to success, made possible through partnership with @SharedHope”]

Our pilot program with private and public foster care agencies contributed to a state wide Governor’s workgroup conversation charged with changing the way that social services responds for youth in care. Mission 21’s vision for specialized foster care went from a call to action, and many denying that any changes needed to happen, to a powerful voice at a table of policy and change makers. In 2017, foster care for sexually exploited youth will see a complete statewide change backed by our Governor’s office. All of it was made possible by this partnership.

Check back Wednesday and Friday for the rest of their story!

August 10, 2016 by Guest

The Role of Child Advocacy Centers in Sex Trafficking Cases

By Iona Rudisill, Baltimore Child Abuse Center

I became a nurse because when I was ten years old I went to a doctor who missed the signs, and that was my last chance at telling someone about what was going on in my life. My last thought was, ‘Maybe somebody could rescue me. Maybe I could have a different life.’ When that guy missed the signs, it devastated me…I just decided what would have made a difference for me—and that was the medical professionals.
–Jen Spry, RN and survivor of human trafficking

The sex trafficking of juveniles is now recognized as a critical public health concern. The burden of identifying, referring and treating victims requires multidisciplinary education for health care providers and a coordinated community response, one that Child Advocacy Centers nationwide are prepared to provide. In 1987, Baltimore Child Abuse Center (BCAC) was the first Child Advocacy Center (CAC) developed in the State of Maryland, and for decades BCAC has been providing a resource to the community with a comprehensive approach for youth who have personally experienced sexual trauma and witnessed various forms of violence. BCAC is an accredited Child Advocacy Center that understands when providing services to youth who have been trafficked or are highly vulnerable to being trafficked, a holistic response (i.e. forensic interviews, treatment, advocacy, healthcare) is needed – from prevention to aftercare for youth and their families. Given their background and experience in trauma-focused and multidisciplinary approaches, CACs can provide an excellent healthcare response for DMST cases. BCAC as well as some other CACs have board-certified forensic pediatricians as part of their multidisciplinary team. This forensic pediatrician collaborates with medical and non-medical colleagues regarding multiple public health care needs such as malnutrition, tattoo removal, forced pregnancies, substance abuse, mental health diagnosis, visionary problems, dental care and burns. These healthcare risks can leave a permanent scar on the life of a youth, if mishandled or overlooked. Therefore, Child Advocacy Centers are an essential component in providing a necessary healthcare response in the best interest of the youth by performing such medical procedures as non-acute forensic examinations and testing for STIs, as well as healthcare education and necessary referrals.

Collection of forensic evidence in acute cases (sexual violations occurring within 72 hours) may be challenging in the CAC setting due to the extensive time involved in conducting these evaluations and the need for physicians who are comfortable with and experienced in doing these exams. Even if CACs do not have the personnel, space or time to complete these acute examinations, being able to refer to another healthcare provider is a necessity. BCAC has addressed this through an active partnership with Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, MD that is equipped to provide Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations (SAFE) for acute sexual abuse and assault cases, which would include DMST. Therefore, Law Enforcement and Child Protective Services investigators could transport a child who has received a forensic interview to Mercy for a forensic examination, which would provide the space, equipment and personnel to collect necessary evidence for their investigations.

The healthcare response in a CAC helps to provide consistency for a youth who has experienced DMST because they won’t have to travel to different places or be interviewed by different professionals, who all want to provide the necessary care for them. Therefore, ensuring that CACs have the critical resources and healthcare providers on staff who have knowledge about the multiple dynamics involved in these case investigations is essential. Overall, it is vital that health professionals of all branches receive the training and education needed to address the complexities of human trafficking.

In response to this need, Shared Hope International recently released i:CARE, a guide for health care providers to recognize and care for victims of domestic minor sex trafficking. Resources like this one are so important in advancing the knowledge needed to improve the responses to juvenile sex trafficking. If the doctor who missed the signs in Jen Spry, the survivor quoted above, had been trained, and had the support of other trained professionals in the medical community, she might have been saved from further abuse and might have received the specialized treatment victims of child sex trafficking require.

i:CARE was written in collaboration with physicians, psychologists, nurses, professors, experts and survivors of trafficking, and is accompanied by four short training videos. Visit the Shared Hope Store online to purchase your copy of i:CARE today.

March 17, 2016 by Guest

These Programs have Empowered Women Worldwide

Guest Post by Ashley Macdonald

While anyone can become a victim of human trafficking, Shared Hope recognizes that traffickers target susceptible individuals. Financial instability is among the vulnerabilities that can aid a victim to fall in to the horrors of human trafficking. Shared Hope International’s Women’s Investment Network (WIN) program offers women the opportunity to engage in hands-on vocational training, leadership development, and job skills courses so they build self-esteem and achieve financial independence.

International training programs are active in Nepal, India, and Jamaica. Agriculture is the mainstay of Nepal’s economy, therefore Asha Nepal’s programs include vegetable, cow and coat farming as well as tailoring, cooking, and handicrafts. In India, Ashagram provides a range of handicraft services to fit the diverse economy. Ashagram includes a sewing center, jewelry unit, bag weaving and henna design. These programs contribute to positive integration into the global economy. In Jamaica, the economy is dependent on services. Remittances and tourism account for 30% of GDP, therefore the Theodora Project focuses on appropriate skills training that meet the demand within the tourist sector. These programs enable the student to acquire the skill set to start a small business. The WIN program looks at how providing these services can address Jamaica’s large-scale unemployment rate.

Domestically, Shared Hope runs a nine-month three-phase WIN program that focuses on computers and administrative skills. Women in the program commit 20-25 hours a week to train on-site. Shared Hope International looks for partners that emphasize the importance of helping survivors gain financial independence, reflecting the principals of our WIN program. For example, Fields of Hope, a project of On Eagles Wings Ministries, allows female survivors of human trafficking (ages 16 and up) to receive valuable job skills training, spiritual mentorship, counseling, and accountability.

Sara, a participant of our domestic WIN program, states, “I gained the confidence I needed to believe I really would be able to support my son and myself. Being part of an organization that rescues women around the world while at the same time becoming better equipped for a career has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.” These programs have empowered women worldwide. Marcia, a participant of the Theodora Project, tells us of how her financial instability led her to fall in to the horrors of human trafficking. She has been working on her financial independence for over a year now with the help of our Jamaica WIN program. Providing survivors with the skills and means of creating their own economic sustainability helps reduce the risk of re-victimization and gain independence.

May 1, 2015 by SHI Staff

6 Summits Challenge Refocuses Efforts in Nepal After Natural Disasters

BALTIMORE, MD (APRIL 30, 2015) – This morning, April 30, 2015, Nick Cienski, Mission 14 Founder and CEO and Under Armour Senior Director of Innovation, along with the Mission 14 and 6 Summits Challenge team at Everest Base Camp (EBC), have decided to discontinue climbing Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu as part of the 6 Summits Challenge. This decision was made out of respect for the families and individuals who have lost lives and homes during this terrible disaster.

“We feel it would be wrong for us to continue climbing these mountains,” said Cienski. “We have made the decision to rededicate our efforts in Kathmandu and provide help alongside our existing partner organizations such as Tiny Hands International, Shared Hope, and Catholic Relief Services.”

“We are still committed to the 6 Summits Challenge and raising global awareness for human trafficking by setting a world climbing record, as we were before the earthquake in Nepal. In the coming days and weeks, we will work closely with Russell Brice and our sponsor corporations to put a plan together that still makes this a possibility,” Cienski continues. “We want to thank everyone who supports this expedition and mission, and encourage you to BE BRAVE to continue to do good work in this fight for justice for all humanity.”

The 6 Summits Challenge team has been at EBC since early April acclimatizing for their expedition. Nick Cienski, Sandi Cienski – Mission 14 Director of Operations, Elia Saikaly – 6 Summits Challenge Videographer, Russell Brice – Himalayan Experience Owner and expedition leader, climbers Jarek Gawrysiak, Pawel Michalski, and Simone La Terra (Makalu base camp) are all unharmed.

6 Summits

About Mission 14 (www.mission14.org)
Mission 14®, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2011, was created to discover new and engaging ways to raise awareness, engage difference makers, and to financially resource existing best-in-class direct-service non-profit organizations dedicated to fighting human trafficking with a focus on the trafficking of children.

About 6 Summits Challenge (www.6summitschallenge.com)
6 Summits seeks to become a world record-setting expedition focused on attracting a global audience to raise awareness on the issue of human trafficking and the fight for fundamental human rights and justice.

April 29, 2015 by SHI Staff

Our Relief Efforts in Nepal

Providing Emergency Aid and Rebuilding Village of Hope for Women and Children

In 2002, Shared Hope built a Village of Hope, Asha Nepal (translated Hope Nepal), to serve as a permanent home for women and children who were fleeing from situations of sex trafficking. At that time, most had been trafficked from Nepal to India and with our support were finally able to return to their home country. Since then, Asha Nepal has taken in many more Nepalese victims of sex trafficking. It is also home to children who have escaped a future in the brothel and have grown up to be leaders of Asha Nepal. Many Shared Hope donors met Manisha, Pooja, Savita, and Ajay along with founder Bimala last year when they joined us in the U.S. to help celebrate Shared Hope’s 16^th anniversary.

In the spring of 2015, two earthquakes devastated the village and its residents. Women and children are sleeping outside in rain-soaked tents, cooking meager provisions over open fires, and the security wall has been destroyed leaving them exposed and vulnerable.

We are their primary source of support and thanks to the support of dedicated donors, we have been able to rush emergency aid and plan for immediate repair of the buildings to ensure the safety and health of our residents.

FOOD

Ongoing aftershocks have prevented entry to the building to retrieve possessions and prohibit access to the kitchen which is on the top floor of the home. The water tank fell off the roof and there is concern for potable water. Food is scarce and cooking their meager provisions on open fires is difficult. We provided emergency funds to provide food and drinking water to residents. We worked with local partners to help facilitate ongoing support for residents during this time.

SHELTER

The Village of Hope consists of multiple homes and communal buildings which have been damaged by the earthquake. Shared Hope coordinated a team of engineers to assess the damage and prepare a plan to repair the buildings. We must work quickly to ensure construction begins before monsoon season (typically beginning in June) threatens to delay progress. Local aid provided tents for our residents but heavy rains soaked the floors. Our partners at Mission 14 visited our Village of Hope and generously donated more substantial, weather-proof tents to provide better protection to residents made vulnerable to the elements because of HIV or illness.

SECURITY

The wall securing the perimeter around Asha Nepal has been destroyed, leaving residents exposed and vulnerable to looters and those seeking to exploit individuals devastated by the earthquake. We are working to install a security team to ensure the safety of our residents until the wall can be rebuilt.

Update From the Field

We rushed emergency food, water, and tents, and also sent engineers to plan repairs and reconstruction. With the generous help of friends across America, Shared Hope began rebuilding Asha Nepal: walls, floors, ceilings, plumbing, carpeting, septic tanks, electric and telephone lines. We’ve also painted the whole building, added security walls around the compound, and put up three pre-fabricated houses.

There are still tremors. We’re still at work but the housing areas are safe, and inhabited. The children are back in school. Lives are on track!

Thank you to all who helped us meet the immediate needs — and to those who stood with us to repair the home, so the women and children in our care can continue to live in safety and freedom..