New Report on Sex Trafficking in Sacramento, Financial Literacy for Afghan Women, New Director of External Affairs

Monthly Newsletter: AUGUST

New Report reveals scope of sex

trafficking in Sacramento County

Last month, the City of Sacramento announced the release of the results of a pivotal study intended to determine the prevalence of sex trafficking in Sacramento County.

Funded by the California Department of Justice through Community Against Sexual Harm (CASH), this project involves a partnership between CASH, RTI International, the Institute for Social Research at Sacramento State University, and a local Survivor Advisory Council (SAC) composed of survivors of sex trafficking.

According to the study, there were more than 13,000 sex trafficking victims in Sacramento County between 2015 and 2020.

This project provided the first estimate of sex trafficking in Sacramento County and will be used to establish a better understanding of the lived experiences of sex trafficking survivors as well as creating meaningful prevention, identification, and intervention policies and strategies to address future instances of trafficking.

READ FULL REPORT

Investing in operational capacity to expand

and deepen our service to clients

Opening Doors is pleased to welcome our new Director of External Affairs, Sumeet Pamma. Sumeet worked most recently with the Refugee Women’s Alliance in Seattle, Washington, first as their Annual Giving Officer and then as their Chief Impact Officer.

Sumeet takes pride in being a nonprofit generalist that utilizes both lived and learned experiences to center his work in community. He grew up in Sutter County and, while he has enjoyed his time at Refugee Women’s Alliance, he has always had a deep commitment to returning home and serving his Northern California community.

"My family immigrated from Punjab to Sutter County in 1978, they didn’t have access to many resources that could have helped establish them in their new home," says Pamma.

"Unfortunately, this remains true today for many new arrivals in our region. This is why I am excited to join Opening Doors and promote the work of welcome in our communities and support the resiliency of our newest neighbors so they have access to the resources I wish my family had."

At Opening Doors, Sumeet will be leading the agency's advocacy, communications, and community engagement efforts and, as the agency continues to grow, Sumeet will play a key role in helping us expand and invigorate our development program.

Welcome to the team, Sumeet!

Financial Wellness Classes Aim to Help Afghan Women Build Financial Literacy Skills

This month, funded by a grant from The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, Opening Doors is launching a series of financial wellness classes specifically for Afghan women.

These classes will help Afghan women learn U.S. financial systems and processes, including how to open a bank account, how to build credit history, how to apply for a loan, and other important information such as protecting themselves from online scams and identity theft.

These classes will run through 2023 with alternating sessions in English, Dari, and Pashto.

Welcoming refugees.

Defending immigrants.

Supporting survivors.

Enriching communities.

Opening Doors to all.

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