Not for Sale is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based out of San Francisco, California that works to protect people and communities around the world from human trafficking and modern-day slavery. The organization equips and empowers survivors of human trafficking and those at risk of exploitation by providing shelter, healthcare, and legal services; education, job-, and life-skills training; and partners with leading companies and organizations to create long-term employment opportunities for survivors and at-risk communities.
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Founders
Not for Sale began in 2001 when organization president, David Batstone, discovered his favorite Bay Area restaurant had been the center of a local human trafficking ring that forcefully brought hundreds of teenagers from India into the United States. He realized this was part of a growing international issue affecting every industry and corner of the earth. From there, Batstone wrote the book Not For Sale in 2007 and along with executive director Mark Wexler and Kique Bazan, founded the Not For Sale organization. David Batstone is co-founder and president of the global anti-slavery organization Not For Sale, and co-founder and managing partner of Just Business, an international investment group that incubates social enterprises. He is currently a business professor at the University of San Francisco, and was previously an investment banker in the technology industry. David has authored five books, is the recipient of two national journalist awards, and was named National Endowment for the Humanities Chair at the University of San Francisco for his work in technology and ethics. Mark Wexler, who currently serves as Not For Sale's executive director, found his vocational direction while working on the streets of Durban, South Africa with street children. He returned to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006 to co-found Not For Sale. Wexler manages Not For Sale's senior staff, operationalizes strategic relationships with partner institutions, and along with Batstone provides overall organizational direction. He also is a co-founder and senior partner in Just Business, which specializes in social enterprise incubation, investment, and consultation. Kique Bazan is no longer working with the organization.
Current Projects
Not For Sale currently works with survivors of human trafficking and those at risk of exploitation in Thailand, the Netherlands, Romania, Peru, and the United States. It also collaborates with sister organization, Just Business, to grow social enterprises. These businesses aim to provide survivors and at-risk communities in these five countries with safety and stability, education, and economic opportunities.
United States
In 2014, Not For Sale launched Reinvent, a program based in San Francisco, to prepare disconnected youth (18-24) affected by trafficking, exploitation, and related traumas for work in the Bay Area's booming industries. After four weeks of intensive work-readiness training and life-skills coaching, graduates of the program are placed in paid traineeships within Not For Sale's network of Bay Area businesses.
Thailand
Starting in 2007, Not For Sale constructed and has since expanded a children's home, which offers shelter and long-term housing for youth rescued from exploitation. The organization provides these children with safety, stability, nutritious meals, and medical care as well as primary, secondary, or university education through a home learning program. Once these children are equipped with the life skills necessary to become self-sufficient, contributing members of the community, Not For Sale strives to create a sustainable environment of economic opportunities and works within the community to arrange internships and jobs for working age youth in local restaurants, hotels and more.
The Netherlands
In the Netherlands, Not For Sale offers professional culinary training to survivors of human trafficking on top of basic computer and job-readiness skills. During their culinary internships, trainees are taught to prepare soup that is sold to women working in the brothels of the surrounding Red Light District. Not only does selling soup to these women enable Not For Sale to help build credible and lasting relationships, but it gives survivors valuable job and life skills that will help them find dignified employment in their home countries. After the women graduate from the culinary training, Not For Sale works to place them in jobs or paid internships throughout Amsterdam. In 2015, Not For Sale opened Dignita Amsterdam, an outpost in the heart of the Red Light District that sells a variety of humanely and sustainably produced items. Proceeds from the shop benefit Not For Sale's work with survivors of exploitation, and those at risk, in the Netherlands. Later this year, Not For Sale will also open a public cafe in Amsterdam to provide stable employment to survivors of human trafficking and increase awareness of the organization's work.
Romania
In Romania, Not For Sale rehabilitates and repatriates survivors trafficked from dozens of countries, providing short and long-term housing, extensive medical care, and counseling. Not For Sale's children home prevents up to 100 children from poor, marginalized, and at-risk communities from being recruited and trafficked. Children are provided with shelter, education, healthcare, and support for up to three years and are given extensive opportunities to enroll in school or basic life skills training. Not For Sale also operates an organic farm where survivors of human trafficking can grow fruits, vegetables, produce, milk, cheese, and jams which are sold to local restaurants and catering companies. This program creates immediate opportunities for survivors to earn an income in a supportive environment. Not For Sale offers technical and vocational training courses and works with the local community to find dignified employment opportunities for survivors.
Peru
Not For Sale hosts awareness trainings throughout the Amazon, educating communities about the realities and warning signs of human trafficking. They also partner with local service providers to find shelter for victims of human trafficking and connect them to legal support. Because schools in these communities often lack resources, Not For Sale provides school supplies to enhance the educational experience for both teachers and students. The organization has also developed a scholarship program to provide housing, school fees, supplies and emotional support for these vulnerable students looking to continue their education. Farmers and miners who harvest the abundant raw materials in the Amazon are taken advantage of, leaving them incapable of ever escaping extreme poverty. Not For Sale is working to create a value chain that enhances the lives of the region's people by providing communities with technical training on how to sustainably grow, harvest, and sell raw materials in both domestic and international markets. Not For Sale also provides empowers hundreds of women in the Amazon through artisan training and small business workshops.
Volunteer involvement
Not for Sale has implemented multiple ways for people interested in stopping human trafficking help their organization.
Not for Sale also has something called a Slavery Map, where people can report cases of modern-day slavery all over the world and thus avoid doing business or purchasing things from places where slavery is practiced. One can sign up for an account to keep track of slavery occurring around the world.
Not for Sale also has an Abolitionist Academy located in California where people can attend lectures and lessons to learn about many aspects of trafficking, such as investigations, aftercare, health care, and Biblical justice. Once someone graduates from the Abolitionist Academy, there are then various international opportunities to learn about trafficking on an international level. People can travel to places like Uganda, Peru and Thailand for a couple weeks.
There is also a Not for Sale fellowship for six months, located in NFS's California headquarters. This fellowship is offered twice a year and gives people ages 21 and older an opportunity to be in the middle of the battle against human trafficking through education and activism.
Also, people can become Not for Sale Ambassadors by giving their time to raising money for a specific Not for Sale project. By getting various people to donate a certain amount of money per month, these Ambassadors do their part to help the Not for Sale campaign.
Not for Sale also offers international immersion trips, where people can learn more about modern day slavery through direct involvement in countries like Uganda, Thailand, Cambodia and Peru.
Lastly, Not for Sale has created an Underground Church Network for people of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith. This network was created with the intention of bringing people of many different faiths together to abolish slavery.
Footnotes
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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