EMPOWER YOUNG SURVIVORS OF MODERN SLAVERY IN TANZANIA

Do you have a young girl in your life?

Can you imagine if she was forced into a violent, abusive working situation by circumstances outside her control?

In a region with limited social services, how relieved would you be if she was found by someone like Consoler, who has dedicated her life to providing a safe place for young girls escaping indentured servitude — a form of modern slavery?

Help us fund Consoler’s business plan to sustain her work for years come.

CHALLENGE:

In Tanzania, many young women and girls are sent to the city in order to escape family poverty and attend school. Often, they find work providing domestic help for other families. Since it is rarely possible to return home because of extreme poverty, employers recognize their vulnerability, and the girls can be subjected to abuse, neglect, and horrible living conditions with nowhere to go.

SOLUTION:

A safe place and a long term plan is possible because of Consoler Wilbert’s leadership and dedication. Consoler herself is a survivor of modern slavery. Her story gives girls hope. She and her husband Eliya provide a safe, healing space for girls escaping abuse and gender-based violence — New Hope for Girls Organization (NHGO). NHGO believes its work as an advocate and service provider will be needed for many years into the future, which is why Consoler has developed a business plan for income to a sustain NHGO for the long-term. Consoler plans to run a sewing supply shop with help from her girls to serve the wider community.

LONG-TERM IMPACT:

In addition to focusing on providing a healing home to young women and girls, New Hope for Girls is also:

Filling a major need for social services by partnering with law enforcement to identify and respond to young women and girls in vulnerable situations (child marriage, indentured servitude, gender-based violence).
Sensitizing citizens and law enforcement to gender based violence and violations of human rights.
Advocating for stronger government protections of women’s (human) rights.
Facilitating literacy initiatives to prepare vulnerable young children for school and advocate for waiving their school fees.
A catalyst for business ideas and training to provide economic empowerment to women in their community.

*Please note: We received permission to take these pictures and tell these stories. It was very important to us to respect the wishes of the young women and girls who did not want to be pictured or have their stories shared.