Education United States Project #19896

Help Provide Access to Education for Survivors

by Restoration Project International

Project Report | Mar 17, 2020
We Are Impacting Lives!

By Edith Okupa | Executive Director

March 16, 2020

Dear Partner,

As always, we are grateful for your continued support and commitment to helping us carry out our programs in our Restoration Project Resource Center. We are impacting the lives of women because of your generosity, THANK YOU!

Here is how we spend your dollar: Awareness Education, (panel, workshops) gives community tools for anti-trafficking, Presentation to tertiary institutions, high school students and educators keep them informed and educated about trafficking, Training and Workshops give providers skills for identifying and protecting vulnerable persons, and Skills Development Education gives survivor and vulnerable persons economic resources for self-sustenance. Your partnership sustains our progress, our impacts are not restrained nor diminished, and lives are transformed. Surveys and evaluation results show the community getting increased education and information about trafficking; more are joining the anti-trafficking movement and learning how to support survivors. As a result, more survivors are receiving economic empowerment.

January 2020 to date, we have educated, informed and trained over 150 victims/survivors, community members, service providers, students, and their educators through our Awareness Education– workshop, panel, presentation, and training. We saw 16 graduates from our intro to computer/Microsoft, financial literacy and business coaching classes. See the transformation:

A Program Participant (PP) moved from housekeeping job to a bank teller job
Another PP got a 2^nd job as a navigator for people from her tribe
Another got a $2,000/year pay increase
Another is ready to move her dormant small business to the next level.
We now have a dedicated staff that helps our constituents navigate systems for employment, internship, and connection for services with other providers.

As we engage our community, we see more enthusiasm and empathy in supporting survivors, who are becoming more empowered. All of these are not possible without your support.

The words “there’s power in numbers” is not far from the truth! Every penny we receive from you is put to good use to change the lives of these women. We depend on you to carry out our work, to transform the lives of the hopeless and stand up for the weak. Please continue to support our work. Help us bring joy to the hearts of survivors and smiles to the faces of the down-trodden.

Share our success stories on social media, and support our Project at:
https://www.globalgiving.org/donate/27856/restoration-project-international/

Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/restorationpi/

Twitter at: https://twitter.com/restorproject

THANK YOU for your support. For questions, contact me at eookupa@restorationpi.org.

Sincerely,

Edith Okupa
Executive Director

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Apr 27, 2016
Final Report For Education Support for Survivors

By Edith Okupa | Executive Director

Mar 1, 2016
Your Support Has Been Overwhelming!

By Edith Okupa | Executive Director

February, 2016 Project Update
By Edith Okupa, Executive Director

Dear Donors,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT without which we are unable to carry out this important work. As a donor, you are receiving this email because we wanted to report that your money is being put into good use to help survivors of sex trafficking.

The one beneficiary of our Project in Denver, Colorado who was empowered as a result of our Aspire Mentorship Program to return to school is doing well in school. She faces challenges with concentrating on her studies because she has to work part-time and take classes also part-time. But we are encouraged by her determination to get education. We are proud to say that she has imbibed the importance of education and is pursuing it with all vigor.

The acute trauma survivors go through as a result of their trafficking experiences sometimes makes it difficult for them to be consistent or stay focused. This is the case with our other survivor who earlier, was enthusiastic about pursuing Criminal Justice but backed down and has been unreachable! This is one of the major challenges we face with survivors – the struggle to get them to stay focused. While we are working hard to keep them focused and imbibe a life pattern outside of the sex trade, the “johns” and pimps are targeting them for victimization. We are fighting this through more awareness – involving communities, and mentorship program.

We want to mention that some of your donations went to creating awareness to engage community members in this work. Without community members, restoration work is not feasible. Education alone is not enough. We capture the attention of our girls through our Aspire Mentorship Program. This 40 week ASPIRE program provides a platform for the sustainability of the restoration of survivors. Its improved curriculum earnestly discusses life skills and social empowerment. We believe this Program will help the survivors embrace education and stay focused. This is our next Project on Globalgiving.

Remember, there is power in numbers. Without your continued contribution we cannot do this work. We will continue to fight to fill the gaps left by policies that forces the release of survivors out of shelters/housing programs, unprepared for the harsh conditions in society. This leaves them more vulnerable and at risk of returning to their abusers.

We appreciate your overwhelming support; its impact on our work is profound. As we begin this Aspire Program, we would be bringing you direct reports from our girls (without their pictures for safety reasons) perhaps you may better appreciate how you are touching lives and engaging in social change.
THANK YOU again for your partnership. If you want to hear more about our good work, please contact me at: eookupa@restorationpi.org. It is always a pleasure and encouraging to hear from you.

Please don’t forget to share our page on Globalgiving with your friends, family and all contacts: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-provide-access-to-education-for-survivors/
“Like” us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/restorationpi/
“Follow us” on twitter: https://twitter.com/restorproject

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