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>View discussions about this entry Country: United States
Organization: FAIR Fund
Sector Focus - Civil society
Year the initative began (yyyy) - 2007
Project URL: http://www.fairfund.org
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? - FAIR Fund recently launched JewelGirls, an art-therapy, economic independence, and social integration program teaching young women survivors of human trafficking to make and sell jewelry that allows each purchaser to become part of her recovery.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? - Last winter on a FAIR Fund trip, I met a young Roma girl inside a house where she was being exploited. I was wearing a necklace that I had made and she asked if I could teach her to do the same. I promised I would. One year later, JewelGirls brings together 26 girl survivors of human trafficking and abuse who are determining their path to safety and independence through jewelry making. JewelGirls is an innovative and hopeful effort to engage girl survivors in the creative process to determine their own path to safety and resiliency while also generating a sustainable income. Now, after the initial investment of beads and a safe space, the jewelry sales sustain the program costs and the proceeds directly support the services they need to recover and rejoin society. When someone purchases their jewelry, whether they are a local service provider or a high school girl in Boston, they become part of each girl’s process of recovery from human trafficking.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? - JewelGirls is implemented through an open model that ensures each girl’s needs, past experiences, and future hopes are taken into consideration. Each week, our girls come together at the workshops to create jewelry that is then marketed internationally and locally – each piece being physical evidence of the resiliency and social capital that each girl embodies. Through our workshops each jewel girl learns to trust, makes new friends, establishes networks with the community, and finally begins to understand how to be safe and independent.
How do you plan to grow your innovation? - The business model of the JewelGirls pilot program can be easily and systematically replicated in other parts of the world where FAIR Fund has strong community networks and cultural understandings. We are learning from each of the girls what it means to survive human trafficking and safely reenter society. What’s more, we hope to deliver a new line of cause marketed jewelry that will be unique to the JewelGirls program and helps to publicize the need for rehabilitation and re-integration services for victimized young people. In partnership with jewelry designers, manufacturers, and retailers, the JewelGirls brand line will raise funds and awareness while also facilitating expansion and strengthening our capacity to assist survivors of human trafficking and exploitation. FAIR Fund currently has plans to expand the program to Russia, Kenya, and Moldova. JewelGirls can also be an effective program to prevent human trafficking by engaging and supporting girls at high risk of human trafficking, included orphaned, street-involved, and runaway girls.
Do you have any existing partnerships, and if so, how do you create them? - FAIR Fund works closely with local youth and women's organizations in order to create sustainable linkages and a circle of community support for each of our JewelGirls. In fact, some of our workshops take place at the shelters and youth centers operated by our partners. Furthermore, we have created partnerships with lawyers, medical advocates, and media to ensure that our girls now have support and that the community as a whole becomes more aware, more supportive, and finally more resilient in its efforts to prevent human trafficking and provide services to girl victims. I have personally seen so many victimized girls on the streets in Serbia. Our careful partnerships and community relationships is critical to effecting long-term change.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. - JewelGirls impacts each participating girl while strengthening the capacity of her community to prevent exploitation and serve the needs of girls victimized by trafficking and street-life.
How many people have you served or plan to serve? - In our first pilot year, the JewelGirls program will reach approximately 30 girl survivors of human trafficking in Belgrade, Serbia. We will then reach a broader population of girls in Serbia by training, coordinating, and supporting community advocates who will have the strength and skills to reach these girls. In Year II, we aim to expand our program to 30 new girls in Moscow, Russia and potentially new girls in D.C. and Kenya where FAIR Fund operates on a programmatic level as well. Beyond these directly impacted and served people, JewelGirls is reaching every single person who purchases a piece of handcrafted JewelGirls jewelry as they too learn about and advance the anti-trafficking movement.
Please list any other measures of the impact of your innovation? - FAIR Fund measures the success of our program by the successful reintegration of each girl into a community where she is supported and allowed to thrive. We already see some girls finding gainful employment and educational chances. For our girls who are heavily discriminated against because they are Roma, legal documentation and access to social services is critical to our success and impact. We will stay in touch with former girl participants to document their transition to a safer adult life.
Exactly who are the beneficiaries of your innovation? - JewelGirls was created specifically to benefit a group of girl survivors of trafficking and homelessness on the streets of Belgrade, Serbia. They receive services that they would otherwise have no access to. They find a community of support to help them heal from their trauma and build networks that will propel them into their life as survivors. In that sense, the community also benefits from a decrease in exploitation and an increase in social capital. Finally, each person who purchases a JewelGirls piece becomes a beneficiary in that, like the JewelGirls, they are given the opportunity to participate in positive social change.
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? - JewelGirls was initially financed by donations of jewelry making supplies and by support from a few generous individual donors. We recently received a gift of over 2,500 silver JewelGirls "Chance Charms", which will be sold to generate income to support the program as it strengthens and expands. As of this winter, we began to sell each girl’s handcrafted jewelry both in the U.S. and locally, generating a profit that is split 75/25, with the 75 percent going to each girl through a communal support fund and an individual savings account. We hope to be able to expand corporate donations and increase individual donations in order to keep a recently opened all-girls safe space open for our participants.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization - Annual budget;
Annual revenue generated; Number of staff: FAIR Fund is a registered 501(c)3 organization with 80% of our funding from private individuals. Our other programs are funded by foundation grants and some governmental support. The JewelGirls program has been funded by the generosity of private individuals, corporations providing in-kind materials, and the sale of the JewelGirls pieces. Our current budget is $350,000. In 2007, our budget was $192,000. FAIR Fund currently has seven staff. What is the potential demand for your innovation? - The demand for JewelGirls comes from the individual girls who need our services to safely reintegrate into a trained and supportive community. We currently know of hundreds of girls and at least three new communities who need the JewelGirls program. Furthermore, the demand for our cause-promoting jewelry made by girl survivors is very high - we are rarely able to keep inventory in stock for more than one month. Both the need and the demand for the JewelGirls program are truly great.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? - Our program costs include educational, medical, housing, legal support, workshop space, workshop leaders, product shipping, and marketing. Our model ensures that each jewel girl receives 75 percent of the proceeds of the sale of jewelry. Thus, our operations are covered by the remaining 25 percent and we need to raise support from private individuals, foundations and corporate goodwill. However, we hope the program will soon generate enough support in sales and product placement to sustain itself.
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. - At 18, I lost a friend to a forced marriage and what I believe was an honor killing. FAIR Fund was founded as a response to that loss. When I met these young street girls in Serbia, they could not wait. I believe that they deserve assistance and have much to teach the us and the world about their strength as survivors. Their jewelry is beautiful evidence of that strength.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material - Andrea Powell is co-founder and Executive Director of FAIR Fund. She is a graduate of Texas State University and obtained her Masters in European Union Law and Economics at the University of Bonn, Germany. At 23, she co-founded FAIR Fund to be a space for younger women to effect social change and stop sexual violence and exploitation in their communities. She enjoys jewelry making, painting, and traveling. Her favorite people include her parents, her husband, and one very special JewelGirl.
Contact Information:
Andrea Powell
Co-Founder, Executive Director FAIR Fund (International non-profit) Discussions about this entry
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1 Girl + 1 Bead = A Chance for a Life of Freedom
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This organization is such a wonderful platform for the woman out there who have been suffering for years (some all their life). I think that what Andrea and the staff at FAIR Fund are doing is very inspiring! I really hope they can branch out and grow in Year II and gain as much support as possible to help this wonderful cause!
Congratuations!!!! The JG store website looks fabulous!! I'm so happy you were able to find a site that worked. Keep me posted!!!
It is really exciting to hear about your progress to date, and I can only imagine that there will be incredible progress from here on out. Do you have any plans for (or do you already do) some monitoring and evaluation?
Hi Mary
Thank you for the question. Each of our girls comes from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Our plan is to monitor each girl's progress by using a series of indicators and assessments that are done by our coordinator's observation, girl member interviews, and personal assessments. This will be coupled with following girls as they exit the program. We are honestly still considering how to decide when and how a girl exits a program. Some of our girls come very often to workshops, sometimes others come on a more sporadic level. This impacts the progress of those who come less often. But, we believe that being flexible and compassionate of their personal development is important. Thank you so much for your question, Andrea
So far the concept of the project seems really good, and it seem as though you have come a long way in installing a sense of trust in the girls you are working with. How do you plan to develop the project further; i.e. are there any plans to give the recipients different kinds of training to enable them to have a better chance of managing later on?
Hi there. I was personally very surpised at the level of trust that our girls showed us. I have to really give credit to our local partners in Serbia. They are the Centre for Youth Integration and the ATINA Shelter. Many of the initial girls were referred to our program via these agencies and many are still receiving services from them. Most of our girls have not had the chance to attend school or really participate in any kind of environment that we might call a workshop. So, our plan is two-fold. First, we teach by doing - i.e. discussions about saving money, buying supplies, chosing vendors - these all happen organically each week and are mainly promoted by situations where the topic naturally fit. Also, as we open our full-scale space for the girls this summer that is independent and fully for their use, we will offer outside learning chances that range from healthy eating to business planning. We have two totally dynamic staff there now - Jennifer and Tanya and we still rely and trust our partners on the ground.
Thank you so much for the question and visit www.fairfund.biz to see their amazing jewelry!
I think that this is a great idea. This is a good very to help these girls get a sense of self through, and gaining back there self esteem!!! Great job FairFund.. Question though hows marketing coming along?? Do you find it hard to get the word out??
Hi "Abq0906"
Thank you for replying. Well, marketing is always a challenge. But, so far, we are trying to get the word out via word of mouth of our supporters and also we have a fantastic spokeswoman for JewelGirls named Gabrielle Christian. She has been posting her involvement online via her web site and has helped us host events in D.C., New York, and L.A. We also just started to sell the girls jewelry at www.fairfund.biz. We have also had some interest from jewelry stores in New York, Boston, Austin, and D.C. to take small orders of some of the pieces. Every single interaction with a potential customer is so important because it's not just about the jewelry itself - it's about the advancement of the girl's progress and integration and about the awareness of the anti-trafficking movement. Just as a side note, sometimes we are able to get photos of those who buy the jewelry so that the girls can see their customers and understand their market a little better. Thank you again!