From Slavery Comes Creative and Physical Freedom - Made By Survivors

Made By Survivors is a not-for-profit dedicated to the economic empowerment of women worldwide, addressing global poverty and marginalization of women. 

This information is a Guest Post by Dianna Badalament, Jewelry Program Manager at Made By Survivors.

Established in 2005, Made By Survivors empowers women who have survived human rights abuses including: human trafficking, slavery, rape, child marriage and extreme poverty, coupled with limited education. 

We train and employ survivors in a highly technical craft: Jewelry Arts. 

We also create opportunities for survivors to learn business and entrepreneurship so they can have long-term financial stability and transform their communities from within. 

In 2009, the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking’s Siren Report indicated reasons why economic empowerment should be a priority in aiding a human trafficking survivor:
· It is what survivors often say they want and need
· Involvement in economic activities requires participation in a wider community    

  contributing to social reintegration
· It can reduce stigmas and also be socially empowering
· It reduces the risk of further exploitation

There is an array of inspiring news about Made By Survivors that I’d like to brief you about: 

· Made By Survivors’ unique sterling silver jewelry - affordable, quality, handmade, fair trade jewelry

· Made By Survivor stories of perseverance and hope from our artisans: Baby and Soma

· Founder’s story, a family radically changes their lives and works together to make an impact

· Why Made By Survivors is different from other non-profits:
> 100% of profits go to support rescue, shelter building, education and employment.
> MBS centers are designed so they can be independent, self-sustaining, and survivor-owned within three years of launch.
> Our survivor-metalsmiths are breaking gender barriers. Metalsmithing is traditionally a male-only profession in many parts of the world.

The transformation in the survivors as they move through our programs is one of dramatic improvement financially, emotionally, and socially.  The products they create are of great pride to the artisan-survivors and the best way to support them is to buy their quality, fair trade, handmade products atwww.MadeBySurvivors.com and wear them or gift them.  Through MBS’s website, donors can also sponsor children for school or donate to support our many programs.    

Made By Survivors Products can be purchased at: http://www.madebysurvivors.com/