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Giving Tuesday and Human Trafficking Awareness
- Dawn Manske
- Nov 16
- 8 min read
How Your Generosity Helps Artisans in Our Partner Centers Build New Futures Through Education and Opportunity
As I reread a journal entry I wrote months ago, I felt that familiar ache — the mixture of gratitude, determination, and urgency that always rises when I think about the work we do.
"I recently sent emails to scholarship applicants. My heart was filled. I remembered wondering during my first trip to India about making space for new survivors. Our partners provide an incredible opportunity for healing and services that go beyond what can be found in a typical job. What would entice a survivor to move on with other opportunities? How can you attract more people in need of assistance if those who came before them don't perceive a positive path forward?
Through dignified employment and the sale of products, Made for Freedom is playing a significant role in providing life skills, job training, and employment. Now, through Made for Freedom Foundation and the educational scholarships that are funded by our customers and others passionate about fighting human trafficking, we can fund scholarships for those artisans who have already begun the healing process and are interested in starting or furthering careers."
That truth hits even harder as we approach Giving Tuesday, a global day of generosity. Because at the Made for Freedom Foundation, restoration is not an abstract ideal — it is a daily mission lived out through education, dignified work, and survivor empowerment.
And now, as thousands of people around the world prepare to support nonprofits, it is a perfect time to battle human trafficking through education opportunities and invest in meaningful anti-trafficking initiatives. We have the opportunity to expand the circle.
This Giving Tuesday, hope becomes action — and you get to be part of it.
Why Giving Tuesday Matters in Human Trafficking Awareness
Giving Tuesday began in 2012 as a simple idea: a day focused on generosity following Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
According to the GivingTuesday Data Commons, people in the U.S. donated an estimated $3.1 billion in 2022, demonstrating that even in times of economic uncertainty, compassion remains a powerful force.
And this generosity is urgently needed.
Human trafficking remains one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world.
A report by The International Labour Organization and Walk Free estimates that 49.6 million people are currently trapped in modern slavery, including forced labor and sexual exploitation (ILO, Walk Free, IOM, 2022 Global Estimates). These are not just numbers — they represent real human trafficking survivors whose stories deserve to be heard, honored, and supported.
As individuals seek anti trafficking organizations, survivor stories of abuse, human trafficking victim assistance programs, and human trafficking rehabilitation programs they can trust, Made for Freedom Foundation stands ready — with a model built for long-term change.
The Made for Freedom Foundation: Ethical Fashion Meets Education
We often refer to ourselves as a "social impact fashion" ecosystem — not because it sounds good on a brochure, but because it's true.
Made for Freedom, LLC offers dignified employment through ethical fashion awareness, producing jewelry, accessories, and apparel crafted by survivors and vulnerable artisans worldwide.
The Made for Freedom Foundation, our nonprofit arm, extends that impact through education. We focus on:
Career training for artisans
Scholarships for artisans employed by our vetted partner centers
Awareness-building to educate about human trafficking
Strengthening partner centers that provide human trafficking recovery programs
Empowerment initiatives that shift entire communities
Our scholarships are not open to the general public — they are reserved exclusively for artisans already working with our partner centers. This ensures:
real community impact
accountability
trauma-informed support
long-term stability for artisans who are already connected to safe employment
This model reinforces both human trafficking prevention and human trafficking rehabilitation programs by pairing economic opportunity with continuing education — the two most powerful protective factors against re-exploitation (UNODC Global Report, 2020).
Scholarships: Where New Futures Begin
When donors support scholarships for human trafficking survivors or those vulnerable to exploitation, they are investing directly in a human trafficking victim assistance program that promotes restoration, independence, and economic dignity.
Two Types of Scholarships We Offer:
1. Individual Career Advancement Scholarships
On a practical level, these are for artisans working at our partner centers who are ready to take the next step in their education or skill development.
Many are human trafficking survivors; others come from communities at extreme risk of trafficking.
Their courage shows up in every application.
We've funded real training requests such as:
A woman studying Business Administration online, determined to build a career with stability as she rebuilds her life.
An artisan advancing to intermediate accounting, studying economic law, practical accounting, and financial management.
A survivor pursuing marketing coursework, preparing for a career in digital communication and branding.
A learner taking a Marketing and Sales course, equipping herself for employment options beyond her immediate community.
An artisan completing additional accounting training, strengthening her professional skills for long-term employment.
These programs connect directly with human trafficking prevention, human trafficking research, and administrative roles, enabling graduates to transition into formal employment sectors. You can hear some of the recipients share their appreciation in these videos.
2. Partner Center Training Scholarships
These support entire teams — groups of artisans who want to:
Improve job skills
Grow in leadership
Develop technical expertise
Build stronger trauma-informed workplaces
Participate in Victim Assistance Training, Online-style model workshops
Strengthen community-based human trafficking recovery programs
Together, these two scholarship pathways create a powerful partnership: human trafficking survivor stories are no longer defined by exploitation but by empowerment, growth, and education.
Why Education Is One of the Most Effective Anti-Trafficking Strategies
According to UNODC research, limited education and lack of economic opportunity remain some of the key vulnerabilities traffickers exploit.
Education becomes a safeguard.
It increases job mobility. It reduces risk. It interrupts cycles of poverty. It strengthens human trafficking prevention at the root. It transforms human trafficking stories from victims into graduates, professionals, and leaders.
When donors support a scholarship, they are not only contributing to human trafficking advocacy — they are also participating in human trafficking prevention and rehabilitation programs simultaneously.
Giving Tuesday 2025: Build a Scholarship. Build a Future. Grow Human Trafficking Awareness.
This Giving Tuesday, we're inviting you to join a movement of people choosing to fight human trafficking with purpose.
This campaign includes three giving pathways:
One-time gifts
Monthly gifts
Annual gifts
All giving options are available at:
And this year's Giving Tuesday initiative includes something significant:
🎁 For every $250 gift, donors receive a Change the World Bracelet.
Why $250?Because that is the average amount needed to fully fund an artisan's scholarship.
It doesn't contribute to a part of a program—it covers one entire scholarship step, launching an artisan into their next level of education.
The Change the World bracelet, crafted ethically by survivor artisans, becomes a wearable symbol of solidarity — a reminder that ethical fashion awareness isn't just about what we wear, but also about what (and who) we stand for.
How Scholarships Transform Survivor Stories: Five Real Examples
Every scholarship tells a story — a human trafficking survivor story rewritten with hope.
1. From Vulnerability to Vision: A Business Administration Student
She wanted stability. She wanted confidence. Most of all, she wanted a future she could shape — not one shaped by fear. Today, she's studying business and dreaming of leadership roles.
2. Accounting Certification: Building a New Foundation
A survivor who once doubted her abilities is now mastering accounting practices, laws, and financial management. Her courage is creating new opportunities not only for her but for the family she supports.
3. Marketing Studies: Reclaiming Her Voice
Her course has helped her discover a talent for communication — something she once thought she had lost. She now supports her center through outreach projects and creative campaigns.
4. Marketing & Sales Training: Opening Doors
Her goal is to find sustainable employment — or even begin her own small business. Her training is equipping her to do precisely that.
5. Intermediate Accounting: Confidence Through Skills
She approached this scholarship with humility and determination. Today, she is progressing through a rigorous course track that would have been impossible without the support of donors.
This Is What Human Trafficking Awareness Looks Like in Action
Human trafficking awareness shouldn't stop at statistics.
Ethical fashion awareness shouldn't stop at purchasing a bracelet.
Human trafficking advocacy shouldn't end after watching a human trafficking survivor speaker or listening to a human trafficking podcast or survivor podcast.
Awareness without action is incomplete.
But awareness paired with education? That changes everything.
This Giving Tuesday, donors are not just supporting human trafficking nonprofits — they are empowering artisans already connected to safe employment, strong training structures, and trauma-informed support.
Your gift directly strengthens:
human trafficking rehabilitation programs
human trafficking recovery programs
human trafficking prevention
economic stability
long-term artisan empowerment
safe workplaces
community transformation
You're not just supporting fashion for a cause — you're helping artisans build futures.
FAQs: Giving Tuesday & the Made for Freedom Foundation
1. Who receives scholarships from the Made for Freedom Foundation?
Scholarships are available exclusively to artisans currently employed at Made for Freedom partner centers. Many of these artisans are human trafficking survivors or individuals from communities at high risk of trafficking.
2. Is Made for Freedom Foundation considered one of the human trafficking nonprofits or anti trafficking organizations?
Yes. We are a registered 501(c)(3) dedicated to awareness, prevention, survivor empowerment, and education through career training and scholarships.
3. How does my Giving Tuesday donation help human trafficking awareness?
Your donation provides education and training to artisans, reducing vulnerabilities traffickers exploit and supporting long-term human trafficking recovery programs. Our video/podcast Impact Conversations with Dawn Manske also delves into topics related to human trafficking to help people gain a better understanding of all its facets.
4. Are Giving Tuesday donations tax-deductible?
Yes — Made for Freedom Foundation is a 501(c)(3), and donations are tax-deductible as allowed by U.S. law.
5. What is the Change the World bracelet?
It’s an ethically made bracelet crafted by survivor artisans. Donors giving $250 or more receive one as a thank-you.
6. Why is $250 the threshold for the bracelet?
Because $250 funds an average scholarship — making you a direct contributor to an artisan’s next step in education.
7. How can I learn more human trafficking stories or hear from survivors?
Our website features human trafficking survivor stories and quotes, and we regularly highlight human trafficking survivor speakers, human trafficking stories in the United States, and global survivor empowerment updates.
8. How do partner centers fit into human trafficking prevention organizations?
Partner centers provide dignified employment — one of the strongest prevention tools. Our scholarship program strengthens these centers by equipping artisans with new skills.
9. Can I give monthly instead of one-time?
Yes! Monthly giving sustains long-term human trafficking prevention and helps us plan future scholarships.
10. Where do I donate?
Right here:
Giving Tuesday: Hope in Action
As I closed my journal today, one line stood out:
"What a privilege to be, even a small part, of providing hope."
Every Giving Tuesday donor becomes part of that path. Part of a real human trafficking awareness movement.Part of a community that believes in survivor empowerment.Part of the quiet, courageous rebuilding that begins when an artisan says:
"I want to learn. I want to grow. I want to build a new future."
And someone like you replies:
"I believe in you — let's walk that path together."
Thank you for choosing hope. Thank you for choosing action. Thank you for choosing to fight human trafficking with education, dignity, and love.
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