HERA promotes women's entrepreneurship and employment with grants, training, and mentoring so as to prevent and counter all forms of slavery, violence and exploitation.To date, HERA has trained 1058 women survivors, women at risk of trafficking, and women and men mentors in nine countries. HERA has awarded 347 grants to women-owned ventures to create new employment for some 609 women in regions with high rates of dangerous migration and trafficking in Central/Eastern Europe.
Each year thousands of young women are exploited and trafficked across borders and within their own countries. Risk factors include poverty, conflict, unemployment, and the responsibility of providing for children, the elderly and extended families. Many dream of building better lives and futures for themselves and their families. Through force, deception, and coercion, traffickers and others exploit young women's economic vulnerabilities and ambitions in order to abuse, torture, and enslave.
HERA's interventions prevent trafficking and re-trafficking by supporting women's entrepreneurship and employment. HERA provides business training to survivors in the UK and grants to scale up women-owned enterprises in Central and Eastern Europe. Grantees include previously trafficked women and women entrepreneurs, who can provide employment for vulnerable, young women. HERA collaborates with leading universities, businesses, and local and international partners to support the women.
To date HERA has awarded 347 grants to women's ventures in Central and Eastern Europe generating 609 new jobs for women at risk of trafficking. HERA has trained 1058 people in nine countries on entrepreneurship, business, and/or mentoring. 95% of the grantees supported by HERA are operating a year or more later and 85% have grown and/or provided new employment. The majority of survivors trained in the UK program advance their careers, training, education, and/or gain the right to remain.
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