Not Abandoned exists to replace exploitation with empowerment.
Women deserve empowerment not exploitation. Slavery comes in many forms. Long before the term “trafficking” was deemed a buzzword, the exploitation of the vulnerable brought mass profit to the greedy and corrupt in every nation. Systems riddled with racial and economic inequality, generational poverty, cycles of abuse, broken family units, and communities of unchecked sexual assault are the components that make up a cultural environment ripe for injustice to thrive. To even begin to understand the atrocities that are commercial sexual exploitation, slavery, and trafficking, we must first dive beyond the surface. We must look past our own judgement and see that “her choice” was never voluntary, but a façade that is much easier to come to terms with than the twisted and complex truth. Not Abandoned exists to shine a light on exploitation, to help remove the barriers to freedom, and replace those barriers with lasting empowerment.
She was once exploited, but today she is empowered.
She's a Business Owner
"I feel I have value now. I won't be pulled back into a bad life because I have value now."
Tansanee* once struggled under the oppression of exploitation and poverty, but today, she is empowered as a small business owner. Thanks to mentorship, trauma-informed support, and training Tansanee is thriving with her food cart. Best of all, she is proudly is back with her daughter.
She's an Eager Student
"I'm so glad I met you. It's hard to find people who will give me an opportunity like this."
Som* always said she was too stupid to learn. She grew up repeatedly hearing this lie. With no high school diploma and no employment experience she was forced into the sex industry to survive. Today, however, she is one of our brightest students, excited to learn, and feeling empowered.
She's Starting a Fresh Life
"We have two ladies, mothers, who are ready to be taken to a safe place but it is very complicated."
Our team received this message concerning two Nigerian women who had been trafficked in Spain. Within a few hours, the ladies were picked up and transported to safety with our partners. Today, Oluchi* and Zauna* are safe and working hard to rebuild a new life through empowered freedom.
You can be a bridge to her future freedom.
If you have ever witnessed the building of a bridge, you have noticed the time and the team needed to complete such a task. It is not a task one can take on alone. Like a bridge, our work should not be done in solitude. Everyone can do something - break down the barriers of exploitation, build the foundation for growth and self-worth, clear the path to freedom. It’s common for the vulnerable to feel desperately alone, rejected, and completely abandoned by their community. With the presence of a healthy and supportive community, these women who have been underserved and overburdened can find empowerment. This is where you come in. This is where you can make a massive, practical, life-changing difference. No little girl grows up dreaming of a future in prostitution, but yet this becomes the reality for so many. Enough is enough. Will you be the one to take notice? Will you be the one to #ShowUpAndLove? Will you be the one to show her that she is #NotAbandoned?
Not Abandoned is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
EIN # 91-1470478
PO Box 3263
Kirkland, WA 98083, USA
info@notabandoned.org