Help trafficked women in UK become entrepreneurs

Summary

HERA provides entrepreneurship training and mentoring support to enable the economic independence of formerly trafficked women. Building on the womens strengths as survivors, HERA recruits and trains a diverse group of professional volunteers as mentors to help reintegrate these women into the formal economy. The combination of inspirational training, and long term 1:1 support really gives the women the springboard from which they have the opportunity to rebuild a new life. progress report read updates from the field

How You Can Help

Make a donation
	£6 - pays for lunch and a snack for a student attending the training
	£6 - pays for a woman to travel to the training course in London for one day
	£19 - covers the childcare cost for a women to attend a job interview
	£31 - means a woman can travel to the course for one week
	show more

	£ Other amount

Received £3,306 from 80 donations from people around the world like:

(Anon.)

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YOU!

Give now to become donor #81!

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More Information About this Project

Project Needs and Beneficiaries

The UN estimates that about 2.5 million people per year are involved in forced labour as a result of trafficking. The majority of these women are aged between 18 - 24 and used for sex work. Traffickers are most likely to prey on marginalised, impoverished, and ethnic minority women with promises of employment and migration opportunities into western economies. London is a major destination for trafficked women, with 30 000 women (police statistics) forced to sex- work here at any given time.

Activities

HERA aims to deliver entrepreneurship training and mentoring to formerly trafficked women in the UK. By supporting women entrepreneurs, HERA are creating alternatives to dangerous and irregular migration that may lead these women back to vulnerable situations. Once here, the women are socially and economically isolated. Hera supports them back into economically active lives, by introducing them to a ready made network of professionals, plus preparing them for business start up or employment.

Funding Information

Total Funding Received to Date: £3,306
Remaining Goal to be Funded: £3,049
Total Funding Goal: £6,355

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).

Resources

Why this Project is Important

Potential Long Term Impact

HERA offers business training to 25 women, providing them with professional business men and women mentors. We promote the women to have a entrepreneurial approach to their career development and choices as a contrast to the subservient or passive roles that may have been imposed on them in the past. Once 'recovered' from their trauma, these women will at best be provided with housing and social security benefits. Hera wants them to move on from this, and become economically active.

Project Message

We have all had mentors in our lives, but we have chosen not to take their advice, and to go our own way. Tonight we have an opportunity to start again and I think we should take the advice this time
- Nadine, Student July 2011

Who is Running This Project

Contact

Angela Smith Morgan,

7a Melrose Gardens
London,London W6 7RN
United Kingdom
07967662524
Email:

Organisation

HERA (Her equality, rights and autonomy)
7a Melrose Gardens
London, London W6 7RN
United Kingdom
0207 603 6221
http://www.hera-web.org/

Learn more about HERA (Her equality, rights and autonomy) and the project team.

Where this Project is Located

Country

This project is located in United Kingdom and can also be found under Human Rights.

For more information about United Kingdom, read the Human Development Report on United Kingdom or the Wikipedia entry for United Kingdom.

When this Project was Updated

Last Updated

This project was last updated on February 21, 2012.

Date Added to GlobalGiving

This project was added to the GlobalGiving project catalog on October 13, 2011.

Latest Update from the Field

HERA Update February 2012

By Angela Smith-Morgan - Executive DIrector, February 21, 2012 01:42 PM

Hands

Thank you to all our donors!

Our women continue to make progress towards their goals. The charity lending clothes to women who only own jeans for court appearances has now started and there has been very positive feedback from barristers and social service providers. Another woman is in Zimbabwe organising the licences and permits to start up a children’s nursery in her home town, whilst a third has decided to ‘go for it’ and has enrolled on an Access course for medicine in September – her life’s dream, which she thought had passed her by (she is 22 years old!) until HERA instilled in her the belief that she could still do it.

Thanks to your donations, we have been able to put on additional events for women this year: in CV writing and interview skills, and making the most of your inner potential. They have asked us to do more of these. We have also put together a short video – do have a look if you have 5 minutes! It is nice to hear about HERA’s impact from the students themselves.

A couple of weeks ago we held a focus group for women who attended the course more than a year ago, to find out whether HERA has a lasting benefit. Here are some of the things they said:

“Whatever background you come from, you can still be somebody.”

“I used to be shy, and couldn’t speak out, but now I’ve passed my Progression Pathway to Nursing due to my mentor’s motivation.”

“HERA doesn’t stop after a year; it stays with you for life.”

Thank you for helping us make a real difference to these women.

Angela

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