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September 2013

Vol. 5 Issue 4  

Survivors of Trafficking Need Your Help
In This Issue
Provide Necessities for Survivors
Survivor's Side
We've Moved!
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Current Events

   

CAMPAIGN UPDATE:

 

The Sacramento Against Sex Slavery in Massage Parlors Petition has been a huge successNearly 1,000 signatures have been collected to date.

 

  

T-visa Certification for Survivor of Trafficking

Congratulations to a client from Mexico who won protection under the T-visa, a special visa for victims of trafficking, after being forced to work in the fields and a factory. You are an inspiration to us all!

    

 

Participant Graduations

 

Opening Doors is proud to announce three upcoming participant graduations:  

 

MoneyWork$

The English and Spanish MoneyWork$ cohorts will be hosting a graduation ceremony for participants, their families and our supporters on September 30th. We will celebrate each participant who met their financial goals.

 

 

Survivors of Trafficking

Participants of our Survivors of Trafficking program will celebrate their freedom, their accomplishments from this past year, and their hope for the future. The private ceremony is scheduled for the end of October.
  

 

RHEAP
Our Refugee Health and Employment Attainment Program will celebrate another successful session on October 5th. The Iraqi refugee families enrolled in the course have learned new skills that will help them find employment and live happier, healthier lives in their new home.

    

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 Greetings!   

 

          Funding for current survivors of human trafficking at Opening Doors was cut by 50% - that's $10,000 - in August and September.  Funding for family members of current participants was completely eliminated and newly identified survivors may be approved only after a difficult and time-consuming approval process.

 

          You can help those newly freed from trafficking situations to stay safe and begin new lives by donating to provide basic necessities including legal and health services. 

 It costs only $38 a day to provide survivors and their children with food, housing, clothing beyond those they fled in, bus passes and other basic necessities.  

  

How many safe days
can
you provide?
  

One Day  --------- $38

One Week --------- $266

                 One Month --------- $1140 

 

 

Please enter "SOT" in the Designation box.

All donations to our IRS-certified non-profit corporation
are tax-deductible to the full extend allowable by law.

 

"It is amazing to be able to laugh again,"
said Ricardo, a native of
Guatemala and survivor of labor trafficking who found help from Opening Doors this August.
"I once saw nothing but darkness, but now I see a bright light."

 

What used to be called slavery is now called human trafficking. There are more slaves now than ever before. Nearly 20,000 men, women, and children are trafficked into the U.S. every year.

 

Opening Doors helped Ricardo find safety and normalize his life. "They gave me a fresh start and a chance to prove I can be more than a slave," he said.

 

About 75% of the survivors of trafficking that we help in a given year are victims of labor trafficking. 19% of our participants are men like Ricardo.  

 

"We are not victims, but survivors," said Ricardo. With support from local law enforcement and agencies like Opening Doors, these survivors are given options after months or even years of not having a choice. "Sometimes you don't see the open door, even when it's right in front of you."


Opening Doors has helped nearly 90 human trafficking survivors regain their freedom. We support law enforcement during trafficking interventions, provide survivors with a home and basic necessities, and connect them with
legal, health and social services.

With our help, Ricardo contacted an attorney to take legal actions against his abuser, and he now has a fulfilling internship as a paralegal. Ricardo says he's been given "a dream and hope: basic things that humans needs to stay alive."

Your donations will directly help survivors like Ricardo begin again.
  
1111 Howe Avenue, Suite 125 
Sacramento, CA 95825 
(916) 492-2591

 

Opening Doors is celebrating our move to the Arden Arcade area. We believe our Survivors of Trafficking and Refugee Resettlement participants will be excited, too.

 

"Moving from Midtown Sacramento to Arden Arcade has given us the ability to better serve our participants because we are closer to their homes and more accessible by public transportation, bike or even by foot," says Carolina Estrada, Survivors of Trafficking Program Case Manager.

 

In addition to better serving our participants, our staff has grown in the last few years as Opening Doors demonstrates its ability to address growing needs in our community.  

 

"Our programs have grown significantly in the past two years and we are changing an ever-increasing number of lives," says CEO Debra DeBondt. "The new office allows us to accommodate our larger staff and will help us become a bigger and stronger agency. 

Thank you for continuing to following our work. You can forward our newsletter to family, friends, and colleagues by clicking the "Forward email" link just below my signature. 
Our staff, interns and volunteers hope you have a great rest of the week. 

Sincerely,

 


Debra DeBondt 

Chief Executive Officer

Opening Doors, Inc.