If you’ve ever wondered what your donation has contributed to, here is just a snapshot of what we have been able to achieve together!
2018 Overview
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- 31 individuals have accessed over 40 sessions of counseling.
- 65 students attended a training on internet safety and awareness.
- 45 students attended an anti-drug campaign run in partnership with
local police. - 27 students graduated; 8 from primary school, 12 from vocational or
high school, 3 from associates degrees, and 4 from undergraduate
degrees. - Over 350 students and villagers trained in sustainable farming and
business development by our Sustainable Development program. - Resource centers are being accessed over 400 times per month on
average. - Over 270 students at local schools reached through our English Camp.
- Over 1,470 individuals reached through outreach campaigns.
- 100 female village leaders received training on women’s rights and
domestic violence. - 90 students have attended group counseling sessions.
2018 Focus
In 2018, we placed a large focus on combatting online exploitation. Increasingly we see that the internet provides great opportunity but also great potential for exploitation. A survey of TFS students showed that 37% of them reported knowing fewer than half of their contacts on social media, and that supervision of their use of the internet was practically non-existent. However, 72% of students also reported wanting to know more about being safe online.
To that end, we partnered with ECPAT International, and our student leadership group, who we shared about in our last update, to develop a program to address the vulnerability in our student groups. The student leaders held a day-long training on online safety, attended by 65 students. Some students even shared their own experiences of being tricked online, for example purchasing fake products online.
ECPAT, TFS and the youth leaders have also made a short video, that was produced, written and directed by our students, to help educate their peers on the dangers of talking to strangers online.
The student leaders have also been involved in raising awareness in their community. In September, students attended a festival in a rural village and shared with over 100 other students what they had learned about child exploitation and abuse in their program with ECPAT.
Your Dollars Matter
Because of your support, we are able to protect children before they become abused or exploited. Working on the ground means fostering relationships of mutual trust and respect between our staff and the children, so we can keep on top of how trafficking is likely to happen and how to protect the vulnerable. In the ten-plus years we’ve been working in the field, technology has changed and traffickers adapted–and we strive to be flexible and adapt too. With your support, we are able to host all these programs, and expand our reach to help spread awareness with more students, in more ways, in more villages.
One day this region known for being a source of victims will grow to be more resilient, more protected, and more aware–so that we all might live in a world where trafficking is on the wane.
To Ensure the Work Continues
We need your help now as much as ever! All funds raised in our end of year campaign go directly to our prevention programs. We’re trying to raise at least another $35,000 to reach our $50,000 goal. Every gift will be matched for a total of $100,000 possible! If you can spare anything this holiday season, to give toward prevention, please donate here or click GIVE at the top right of this page.
