Sarah 
Thank you so much for your support and concern for vulnerable children in Nuwakot. We have had an incredible year with many highlights including completing the construction of our dormitory and headquarters, the addition of another grade at the school, launching remedial education classes for adults, growing our Sustainability Through Community Agriculture program, hosting a … Read more
The Freedom School Our construction of dormitories & headquarters at the Freedom School is nearly complete! Over the course of the year, Anjali and the team in Nuwakot, Nepal have been overseeing the construction of 2 buildings, across the road from one another. The dormitory building will provide a safe home for up to 50 girls … Read more
For me, one of the most exciting things about our new Learning Center (in Kolkata’s Sonagachi red light area) is the focus on computer training and digital literacy. Because Our Girls Want IT! In the early years, HFC offered training and employment for trafficking survivors in rescue shelters, mostly in artisan crafts (our name was … Read more
View PDF version of 2023 Trip Report and images here> In February, I traveled to India and Nepal with other staff and members of our community to check in on programs and spend time with the women and girls. This time, unlike the trip report I normally write, I want to share some very personal … Read more
I have just returned from a 3 week trip to India and Nepal. This was my first chance to visit India in over two years! It was a heart-opening experience that inspired many new ideas and insights. This past year has been a time of tremendous change and growth for HFC. We are all feeling … Read more
Summer Newsletter 2021 After working in Kolkata for 13+ years, we finally have the opportunity to create a space large enough for all of the education, mental health and vocational programs we already offer, and some new ones we have only dreamed of. We are so excited! The new space is being made possible by … Read more
Nepal Update – Nov. 2021 I just returned from several weeks in Nepal, working alongside Anjali Tamang at the new school that she has built – and that HFC is supporting – in her village. The work that Anjali, her husband Binod, and their growing team are doing is powerful and beautiful beyond my ability … Read more
A Beautiful Soul – Minu Last week we lost one of our own. Our Community Organizer Minu Chetri passed away from tuberculosis. TB is very common in red light area, where Minu lived for much of her life. Minu was a beautiful soul who brought light, hope and a much-needed sense of humor to everything. I first met … Read more
COVID-19 Update India is in the midst of a strict, nationwide 40 Day lockdown. This means you cannot leave your home without police permission, even to buy food. Our families in the red light areas and slums live on daily wages: they did not have any food supplies before the lockdown, and they were going … Read more
How common is HIV/AIDS in India’s Red Light Areas? by Sarah Symons, Founder & Director, and Richa Gupta, Research Fellow One survivor who inspired the founding of Her Future was Anita, who I met at a shelter in Nepal in 2004. Anita had been trafficked from Nepal to India at age 12, soon after the death of her father. … Read more