January Guest Post: Allies Against Slavery
by John Nehme on November 30th, 2011
We figured figured with January now officially being called, "Human Trafficking Awareness Month" and next month has Freedom Sunday it would be appropriate to introduce our readers to our parnters in the fight against human trafficking, ALLIES Against Slavery. We are proud to consider Allies a partner of Restore Communities and look forward to deeper work in the freedom of humanity:

Sindy was pregnant, expecting a baby boy in a matter of days. Her pregnancy, however, was more complicated than most. As a recently identified victim of human trafficking in Austin, Sindy was just beginning to receive assistance from the Central Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking (the Coalition). And while the Coalition provided Sindy with valuable services, she had no baby supplies for her new son; nothing for her return from the hospital – no crib, no diapers, no bottles, no changing pads…none of the things so many mothers expect and value.
That’s when the Coalition made a call for help on Sindy’s behalf to the Allies Against Slavery. Allies Against Slavery, simply called Allies by most, is an organization of volunteers united to activate and sustain community involvement in the anti-trafficking movement in Central Texas and to support the efforts of the Central Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking. To accomplish that goal, Allies aims to be a local, credible, and up-to-date resource for information and a network for activism. At the core, Allies is all about harnessing the collective passion, creativity, and generosity of community members. Collaboration is part of the Allies DNA; diverse members volunteer their skills, time and creativity to establish a zero-tolerance environment for slavery and to address unmet needs of victims identified by professional service providers and the criminal justice system.


Sindy faced a similar lack of resources for her new baby – resources the Coalition didn’t have the means to supply. The Coalition’s call for help soon turned into a call to action that spread like wildfire throughout the Allies network. A Target baby-registry was created for “Sindy Survivor”, and in less than three days more than $300 of in-kind donations was mobilized. Allies collected the donations, which were sorted and gift-wrapped, and the Coalition threw Sindy a baby shower when she came home from the hospital. After the baby shower, Sindy turned to her newborn son and said, “No one’s ever done something like this for us before…we’re never going to forget this day, are we.” Sindy never had direct contact with anyone in Allies that helped her that day, and they never got to meet Sindy or her baby son. But Allies volunteers were willing to be anonymous extraordinaries, motivated by the fact that they made a tangible impact in her life without ever needing to be personally recognized.

John Nehme, M.A. Political Economy
Co-Leader, Allies Against Slavery
Director of Outreach, Trade In Hope
Laurie Cook Heffron, LMSW
Co-Leader, Allies Against Slavery
UT Austin Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault
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