Gender Equality United States Project #23904

Restoration House Project

Project Report | Dec 20, 2017
Thank You for Your Support

By Edith Okupa | Executive Director

Dear Supporter,

Compliments of the season!

Thank you so much from all of us in Restoration Project International for believing in us and supporting our work. We appreciate your commitment to ensuring that we are able to forge a clear path towards achieving our goals. Without your support and donations, we would not be able to do this work.

We wanted to share the progress we made and the decision our board reached regarding this project. Although we raised over $2,000 for this project, but it feel short of what we needed to start a housing program. We decided to do something different, but close to what the original goal was - the ultimate goal is the same - helping survivors of trafficking embrace sustainable restoration in a safe space. As a result of lack of funds and the delay in raising enough, we decided to start a non-residential program, Restoration Resource Center. We would be providing the same types of services, but in a non-residential setting. This one-stop-shop will ensure that survivors receive the need treatment, skills set and empowerment to properly integrate into society. We are in collaborative partnerships with healthcare professionals, law enforcement and other social/human services organizations working together to bring this efforts to being.

Our new project mentioned above, is therefore fundraising for this. There is an attachment of the plan of action and funding requirements. The link below will also take you to the project.

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/restoration-project-resource-center/?utm_content=Your%20project%20has%20been%20approved%21&utm_campaign=project-approved&utm_source=email2.globalgiving.org&utm_medium=email

Once again, thank you for supporting us; and above all, believing in us.

Please remember to go to our newest project and make your end-of-year giving, to support this project, like you have always done. Also share our links with your family and friends.

https://www.facebook.com/restorationpi/

Sincerely,

Edith Okupa

Executive Director

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Nov 10, 2017
Thank You for Your Support

By Edith Okupa | Executive Director

November 09, 2017

Restoration Housing Project Update

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for supporting our bid to start a Housing Project for victims/survivors of trafficking through Globalgiving. We appreciate you trust in us and the decision to partner with us as we continue to wade through the challenges with bringing survivors of sex trafficking to an unimpaired state. Here’s an update of our current position regarding this housing project.

To date we have received $1,825.00; thank you for your contributions. Because of the challenges in raising funds for this project, our Board of Directors decided we should start with a non-residential Resource Center and gradually upgrade to a residential program. So we would be using the funds raised for this Project for that purpose. The new project would be administering the same services as this project, only difference is that the new one would be non-residential and would offer more services that this one. Also, we are developing strong collaborative partnerships that would make the new project very effective. Our ultimate goal is to restore and rehabilitate victims and survivors of trafficking.

To achieve the above goal, Restoration Project International will be offering life skill development for victims and survivors; and referral services that targets the needs of our clients. As a result, we would like to enjoin our supporters and donors to please continue to support our good cause. We are working to change the trajectory of jail and also bring survivors to an unimpaired state. We cannot do this work without your generous support.

We truly appreciate your partnership in ensuring that we carry out our mission. As we transition from this Project to this new Resource Center, we would keep you informed of our progress as we go. Please remember us in your end of year giving. Look out for the new project and support us.

It is troubling to see victims and survivors return back to their trafficker because they do not have a safe place to hide, nor a program that would provide life skills empowerment for them to move to the next stage in their healing process. We want to be that resource center. Perhaps, we would be able to keep them from returning to their trafficker when we give them tools for restoration. Therefore, we are counting on you to erase this agony of pain and enduring the vicious cycle of returning to their trafficker!

We are also counting on you to spread the word among your friends and family; share our Project information with your social media contacts. Your support will help victims escape trafficking and help survivors rehabilitate and live a normal life. Please help give hope and light the darkness that these girls face!

Please invite your family, friends and colleagues to support our Restoration Housing Project. Share our page at: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/restoration-house-project

THANK YOU again for your partnership and continued support. Feel free to contact me at eookupa@restorationpi.org.

Edith Okupa

Executive Director

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Jul 17, 2017
July 2017 Project Report

By Edith Okupa | Executive Director

July 16, 2017

Restoration Housing Project Update

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for your continued support towards our Housing Project on GlobalGiving. Although we are still far from our goal, but we are grateful that you decided to partner with us and we do appreciate your continued support which will help us realize our goal which is to bring survivors of sex trafficking to an unimpaired state. Here’s an update of where we stand with regards to raising funds for this project.

Since our last report, we have raised an additional $120.00. This brings the total raised for this project to $1,730.00. This is far below the initial $18,000 we would need for this project to take off. With $18,000, we would rent a space (with a buy option) that would accommodate 3 girls and provide them services. This will save them from being trafficked, abused and re-victimization. We would help restore their dignity, give them hope for a brighter tomorrow, and equip them with skills to fight trafficking.

Our goal is to change the trajectory of jail for survivors. When rescued (arrested) by law enforcement agents, survivors are put in jail for safety and to prevent their captors/pimps from continued abuse and trafficking. However, they are brought before a judge (or released into the waiting arms of their trafficker) within 24hrs of arrest. In the absence of a safe place, survivors wound up with their traffickers. Even the mandatory treatment program from the courts does not prevent the trafficking. The truth is most of these survivors attend these non-residential treatment programs from accommodations provided by their traffickers. Which means they are still under the control of the traffickers. This defeats the purposes of rescue and makes restoration challenging.

RPI, in partnership with law enforcement and other agencies, is fighting to reduce the trajectory of jail, and also provide a safe place for the survivors to receive empowerment for sustainable restoration. This process is challenging for survivors, let alone when they are unduly exposed and unprotected from their traffickers. We would like to give survivors reasons to shun their traffickers. We want them to be able to join forces with RPI and other agencies to fight trafficking and protect at-risk girls from traffickers.

Thank you for believing in our vision and helping us achieve our goal. The vicious cycle of jail is troubling to us. It breaks my heart to see survivors return to their traffickers who abuse and treat them like “animals” because they don’t have anywhere else to go. We cannot ask them to leave the sex trade without first providing a safe place for them to sleep, eat, bathe, cloth themselves and have their own space where they can feel safe and free. A space where they are not afraid that someone would come after them, where they are not forced to sell their bodies for sex, where they are not molested, beaten, raped, and violently treated because they are not doing the bidding of one man – their trafficker! Do you know that as we provide shelter/transitional housing for survivors, we are helping them transition to healthy communal life and thus reducing the number of trafficked victims? Restored survivors will help prevent trafficking and protect at risk girls! This transition to a healthy life-style can only happen if we come together as a community to protect these girls.

Would you please help us spread the word among your friends and family; share our Project information with your social media contacts. We would like this project to take off by the first half of the 2018. Your support will bring joy to the hearts of our survivors; we know this for a fact because who would not like to enjoy peace and a world without violence (being abused) in their own safe space! Can you imagine the relief a safe space would bring, as opposed to being thrown in jail after a trafficker has abused and a “john” has raped a girl severally! Please help us save these girls!

We cannot do this work without people like you. Your support is very crucial to survivors at this time. The more we delay, the more victims we would be seeing. The more support, the less you have to contribute. Help us spread the work!

Please invite your family, friends and colleagues to support our Restoration Housing Project. Share our page at: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/restoration-house-project

THANK YOU again for your partnership and continued support. Feel free to contact me at eookupa@restorationpi.org.

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