By Ray Umashankar | Executive Director
In response to the urgent request (below) from Dr. Sunitha Krishnan- Founder of Prajwala and ASSET India Foundation partner, we have committed $25,000 toward the construction of shelters for survivors of sex trafficking. ASSET India English and computer programs will be implemented in these shelters. ASSET has also started two crowdfunding initiatives through Crowdera and Milaap.org platforms.
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Dear Friends
We are back to square 1 and this is like a repetition of 2009. In the last few months attacks on Prajwala has increased multi-fold. There have been four physical attacks where 16 of our girls, 4 of our staff have been grievously injured.
My vehicle was next on the list, it was vandalized on 6th Feb 2015 and I am right now flooded with sexually explicit abusive emails.
All this and more I am taking it as an indicator of success but some other rippling effect is bothersome, one of them being our economic enterprise is now facing eviction. The landlord has given time till September to shift.
So it is big decision time. We have decided now to shift. We are looking at 2 acres of land in the city outskirts, which will accommodate the following:
1. Economic Rehabilitation Unit(A unit for 100 girls to learn a trade and also work)
2. Emergency Shelter(A home for 50 girls)
3. Prajwala Base Camp for Community Based Prevention Program, Rescue & Restoration Program, Rape Victim's Support Program, Anti Trafficking Resource Cell & Prevention Through Education Program
I have decided to use the corpus that we have raised in the last 5years to buy the land which is coming to around 2 crores( a little less than half million dollars), but I will require another half a million dollars to construct these three places. As of now I am in the last stages of finalizing the land.
So requesting all your emergency support to mobilize this amount. Like to request Anna & Kristen to provide any write-ups required for anybody. I have copied all of you in this mail so that you can be in touch with each other. Unfortunately I am in a unique situation seriously challenged in terms of writing etc, as the Annual Report has to be prepared and I am just drowning with external evaluations and writing the annual report.
Rest assured none of this has effected our regular work, rescues continue, missing children are tracked, rehabilitation work is at its peak with 50 girls now being trained as Security Guards.
The mission will continue no matter what and I know this too shall pass, but require your strength & support in this hour of challenge.
Dr. Sunitha Krishnan
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