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 the generosity of Todd Patkin and family. Todd has been deeply committed to the work of HFC for many years, and when he heard our dream of a one-stop-shop for survivors and vulnerable girls in Kolkata, he decided to fund three years of rent and facilities costs. Other dear friends have stepped up to sponsor rooms and programs at the center.
Nafiza, our Country Director, has found an incredible historic building very near to a red light area in which we already work. The building needs some love (don’t we all!?) and we will be spending a few months renovating and updating the electricity (which is over 80 years old). We are so excited to design and create a positive, uplifting and sustainable space where women and girls can heal, grow, learn and build their own futures.
Youth Engagement
The students of the Sturgis High School Her Future Club recently created and released an international cookbook, with 100% of sales revenue going to HFC. The students have already raised over $1000 from this fundraiser!
For the past 10 years, the Club has been led by the indomitable Robin Singer, a teacher at the school. Over the years, Robin and the kids have raised thousands of dollars for HFC and have educated many people about human trafficking.
Robin is retiring from Sturgis HS this year, so she will no longer be leading the club, but she plans to stay engaged with HFC in new ways. We are so thankful for committed, innovative volunteers like Robin that make our work possible!
As India and Nepal emerge from the worst of the COVID second wave crisis, we are shifting our efforts from relief – food and medicine distribution – to long term efforts which will help women and girls recover from 18 months (and counting) of school closures, job losses, and mental health challenges.
Our Resource Centers, Jewelry Centers, and the schools we support, are gradually reopening. This fall, we are launching a new Learning Center in Kolkata where girls will be able to use computers for homework and to communicate with teachers, as well as receiving all kinds of mental wellness support, and tutoring or vocational training, depending on their age, needs and interests.
The Freedom School in Nepal will be opening soon, providing much needed education and trafficking awareness education to a rural community with a very high incidence of trafficking and child marriage. In Kathmandu, we are supporting trauma recovery at The NEST – a new counseling and play therapy center operated by our partner organization, The Apple of God’s Eyes.