The Journey Home Foundation aims to educate villages, women & girls on the dangers of human trafficking and the ways to avoid it. The Foundation exposes the hidden agendas behind predatory offers so that women and families are wiser to the realities of this criminal industry and are able to recognize trafficking solicitations.
More importantly, JHF will help the girls develop a sense of pride and self-worth so they are less vulnerable and better prepared to protect themselves. JHF works with communities as well to strengthen social and cultural bonds and instill a sense of citizenship and purpose, so that all individuals see their own value to the whole. JHF has established trust over time with families and neighbors so that it can be effective in opening dialogue, eliminating taboos and stigmas, and engendering hope.
Women learn to manage simple businesses and heighten their national and cultural pride while infusing their local economy with monies earned right in their home villages. It has been proven repeatedly in other countries, where education is lacking and poverty is rampant, that improving women’s circumstances through education, and training them to earn a living in their local economy, is the fastest way to change the overall climate for their entire community.
Once the Foundation builds its funds and expands its partnerships with other NGO’s and non-profits, JHF will focus on perhaps its most critical purpose, rescuing enslaved girls and women and prosecuting their traffickers. We will also focus on creating additional shelters and safe houses. Meanwhile, women and girls may take refuge in JHF facilities in Kathmandu (the capital of Nepal) as temporary guests. The Foundation’s Rehabilitation Home includes intercepted children and women, survivors of trafficking, abandoned/lost children, and survivors of domestic violence and rape.
Poverty-stricken communities need alternatives. If girls are most valuable as barter for economic gain, or if women have only one option to survive, human traffickers will always find fertile ground to harvest financial profits. Families, and particularly women and girls, need real opportunities
and a way out of economic desperation.
JHF provides vocational training for both survivors of trafficking and for women and girls at risk. JHF believes in supporting the rich culture of Nepal by building on the traditions and sustainable practices that already exist, and providing targeted training to broaden a variety of skills important to Nepali women that meet important commercial needs.
Textile Skills
Hands-on training helps expand simple mending skills to sewing and weaving capabilities. Women are trained to be proficient using commercial sewing machines purchased by JHF. The foundation also teaches the women how to promote a business of sewing, so that they will eventually be self-sufficient. JHF and staff volunteers oversee the training and guide the work engagements.
Culinary Arts
JHF sponsors a culinary school in Nepal. Girls attend this school for three months of training to earn their chef certification. With this certification, graduates are able to find jobs at hotels and lodges that serve international travelers. Because Nepal has such a large tourist industry, these culinary skills are highly marketable, in-demand, and sustainable.
General Business Skills JHF trains women in basic business skills such as using computers, bookkeeping, and micro-enterprise management.