5 Ways to Fight Slavery This Holiday Season

Winter is a season of gatherings and gift giving. So why not make it count for something? Spread the joy of giving and receiving, and have a positive impact on the world while doing so.

1. Give a survivor made gift. Visit the Empowerment Store and help support a survivor as she embraces her new life.
2. Throw a holiday fundraising party. This holiday season, celebrate compassion, hope, and life by asking your holiday party guests to bring a donation of your suggested amount which you will donate to the Somaly Mam Foundation. Explain to them what their money will help give the gift of survival and empowerment. 
3. Give the gift of knowledge and awareness. Purchase Somaly Mam's book The Road of Lost Innocence and share it with your friends and loved ones. They will finish the book changed, aware of the horrors aof human trafficking and hopefull inspired to take action.
4. Buy slave free gifts. Check out the Ethical Shopping Guide for slave-free gift ideas.
5. Use fair-trade ingredients in your baking. You know those chocolate chips in your delicious holiday cookies? Sadly, the cocoa beans may have come from a farm that uses child slaves. One of the most in-demand products during the holiday season, chocolate has a not-so-sweet dark side. Child slaves in West Africa work for no money, starving and tortured. Purchase fair-trade chocolate from companies such as Equal Exchange to make sure that satisying your sweet tooth doesn't harm others. 

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out this list of gifts that benefit the Somaly Mam Foundation.

Use this guide to take action against slavery during the holiday season with your friends and families, but don't stop there. Together we can give others a reason to celebrate.

The Best Holiday Deal You Can Get

This Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and for the rest of the holiday season, you can get the most amazing deal by giving the gift of compassion, empowerment, and survival.

Visit the Empowerment Store and with any purchase you will receive the satisfaction of knowing you have donated to help end modern-day slavery and empower victims. Now that is a holiday deal you can't pass up.

Young and taking action

She may only be in high school, but Olivia Dufour is doing her part to fight against trafficking and help victims and survivors in the shelters. Olivia has collected over 350 items for the shelters including; 181 books, 61 dolls, 10 toys, 10 types of art supplies, book bags, and tote bags. She estimates the total of items to be around 365.

Olivia first met Somaly Mam two years ago at a Young Professionals dinner.

"We've been friends ever since and my passion for ending human trafficking has only grown stronger," Olivia said.

After Somaly told Olivia that she needed supplies for survivors living in shelters, Olivia started Dolls for Healing, a program that collects items for shelters and raises awareness and create action. Olivia holds seminars and events to help end the sex trade in the United States and abroad.

Do you have your own volunteer project? Want to start your own? Visit PROJECT FUTURES global and get involved today. The future awaits!

Meet Pheap: A Strong Survivor and Voice for Change

Each year, more than two million women and children are sold into sex slavery. Pheap was one of them, until she was rescued in Cambodia.

Pheap now lives in an AFESIP shelter, where she part of Voices for Change. She uses her experience to raise awareness and create change. Pheaplikes that she can help the other victims because she was once in their position. She knows about the problems that exist and wants to help solve them.

Pheap's favorite foods are dried food and barbecue. She loves romantic music especially songs that involve children and mothers. Pheap loves to read and enjoys studying every subject. She is currently studying Khmer and English and is getting much better at the two. In addition to her work with Voices for Change, Pheap is interning with the AFESIP Outreach/HIV Prevention team.

"When I'm here, I feel warm inside," Pheap said of living in the Voices for Change house.

There are many other women and children like Pheap who need our help. Some are in the shelters, lucky enough to have been rescued but needing a proper education, job skills training and rehabilitation. Others have yet to be rescued and remain enslaved.

To learn how you can help Pheap and others in similar situations, please visit www.somaly.org today.

“I strongly believe that love is the answer and that it can mend even the deepest unseen wounds. Love can heal, love can console, love can strengthen, and yes, love can make change.”- Somaly Mam from her autobiography The Road of Lost Innocence. Purchase it here and read her entire heroic journey and support SMF.