Life-Changing New Projects
We are so happy and grateful to be celebrating our 10th birthday this year- a real cause for celebration. Made by Survivors was based on the idea that the most urgent need of rescued survivors , and people at highest risk, was economic alternatives to slavery and exploitation.
The best is yet to come, and the need is still great. This fall, we are adding a third floor employment and vocational training center to the shelter we built last year in West Bengal, India. The cost of the construction is $55,000 and we finished raising this amount in July 2016. We are now raising funds to create job training and employment projects in the new space. This is important for older girls who are not in school to gain skills and save money that will enable them to safely rejoin society, and to stay longer at the shelter as they recover, learn and earn. We are also committed to sponsoring each of the 65 girls at the shelter for school ($30 per child/month)
We need your help to keep all our projects going, and to grow so we can help many more people become free forever. Please consider a gift in any amount to enable more women and children to experience the joy of freedom.
Parents need alternatives to selling their daughters, or sending them off to pursue false job offers out of sheer desperation. Girls needed alternatives to migrating to big cities, looking for work, or to marrying at age 12 or 13 to lessen the burden on their parents. Children born into slavery need education to break the cycle. It is unbearable that millions of people are enslaved in today’s world, that they come from the most vulnerable parts of society, and that many are exploited again and again, because they are never given the tools to remain free and independent.
Other new projects include our veterinary nursing training program, in which survivors receive a 2 month intensive training in animal care and then jobs at animal shelters, and our Vision for Empowerment photography project, offering month-long courses in photography and photo editing for therapeutic self-expression and career exploration.
Over the past 10 years, we’ve provided education to 400 child survivors, we’ve helped free an entire village from bonded labor slavery, we’ve built a shelter (in partnership with local agency Women's Interlink Foundation) and expanded three others in India and Thailand, we’ve trained and employed several hundred women throughout Asia and in Uganda, we’ve built a successful survivor-made jewelry business, and we've launched several other survivor businesses which are now operating independently. We’ve also supported our partners in rescuing hundreds of girls and running large-scale prevention campaigns in the highest risk communities, provided emergency relief following the earthquakes in Nepal, and many other initiatives.
Sponsorship Opportunities:
Sweet Dreams Sponsor: $100
We try to offer the most welcoming experience to our survivors, beginning with the first night in a comfortable environment. In the past, bedtime has been a frightening time for these girls. Now you can play a big part in the beginning in the new life of a survivor by sponsoring a bunk bed at our new shelter in India.
Tools of the Trade Sponsor: $500
Help to provide the best jewelry making tools for Made by Survivors artisans. Women around the world wear beautiful pieces of art made by our survivor-artisans, enabling the women to build bright futures and enjoy abundant lives. Help them continue by providing them with the most efficient tools necessary to create their art.
In-Coming College Freshman Sponsor: $2,500
Do you remember your freshman year in college? Trafficking survivors may have never though a college degree was possible. Support a year of college education for a survivor.
Educate to Elevate Sponsor: $7,200
Help us break the cycle of poverty through education. It takes $480 to educate an elementary aged survivor, or child of a survivor for one year. Please consider a gift of $7,200 to help 20 children receive a top notch education while living in a safe secure environment that fosters creativity and love.
Animal People immersion Trip, Calcutta & Sikkim - Sept. 30 - Oct. 9, 2016: $5000
Travel alongside Belinda Carlisle (international recording artist, GoGos frontwoman) and MBS India Director Paul Suit, visit Made by Survivors’ programs, meet the women and girls, visit animal shelter partners in Calcutta, and then travel to Sikkim, gateway to the Himalayas. Trip cost includes a $3000 tax-deductible donation. read more here
Ten for Ten sponsor: $10,000 Pay wages for ten survivors for ten months of the vocational training of their choice. Options include animal care, spice blending, jewelry making, block printing, tailoring, accounting, photography, health aide. High quality, well-paid employment breaks the cycle of poverty and slavery, enabling survivors to remain free forever!
More Ways to Give
In addition to giving a gift directly, there are a variety of ways you can give to support rescue and shelter, education, and employment programs provided by Made by Survivors.
Give a Gift of Stock or Donation from Your IRA
Made by Survivors would be grateful for your gift of stock or a donation from your IRA. Please contact our director of development and international resources at 765.244.7830 or email at amyrose@madebysurvivors.com.
Donation of Services or Supplies: Technology including software, laptops and digital cameras are always appreciated. We also are in need of services such as graphic design and bookkeeping.
Include legacy gifts in your will: We hope that you will consider including Made by Survivors in your estate or financial plans. A Planned Gift can help plan for future generations of empowerment. There are many options available to those who wish to include Made by Survivors in their long-range planning.
Employer Matching Gifts: One of the easiest ways to increase your gift to Made by Survivors is through your employer’s matching gift program. To learn if your employer will match your donation, please check with your human resources department to learn about your company's matching gift program.