Not For Sale and the anti-slavery movement have received a significant boost, attracting a tidal wave of support in recent days.  The organization has enjoyed a hugely successful start to 2012 and secured funding that will greatly assist its projects in both India and South Africa this year.

Last week, white flags for freedom were raised outside Atlanta’s Georgia Dome as more than 42,000 students and young adults, from all fifty U.S. states and thirty countries, gathered to participate in the annual Christian youth event, Passion 2012.

The 27,000 white flags representing the millions of people in slavery were strung across the Georgia International Plaza just outside the Georgia Dome, as a large structure of a hand reaching to the sky was unveiled. The hand represented the hand of justice that students were invited to extend as they participate in ending modern-day slavery.

Each of these symbolic white flags was made at Not For Sale’s partner project in India, which provides employment to vulnerable women and survivors of human trafficking.

The goal of Passion 2012 was to raise $1 million to fight global slavery. The eagerness of the students ignited a wave of generosity, bringing in over $3 million dollars and displaying what a gathering of passionate students can accomplish.

A Not For Sale on-the-job training program for survivors of human trafficking in India will be entirely funded by proceeds from this event. The new program will provide job-skill training to over 100 exploited women, offering them greater stability, empowerment, and hope for a better future.  This program is a part of our ongoing efforts to empower at-risk populations around the world by helping them build a sustainable and dignified future through improved economic opportunities.

Not For Sale South Africa also benefited from the event and received full funding to expand its efforts and scope through the establishment of a new crisis center for survivors of human trafficking in Cape Town.
The team, led by NFS Coordinator Christina Bacino, is currently searching for a new building that will provide immediate services and care for newly rescued survivors in the city.

Recognizing an essential local need, the new crisis center will provide specialized shelter and support for survivors before they are interviewed by law enforcement about their experiences.

Not For Sale would like to thank all the students who attended the event and generously made donations to help re-abolish modern-day slavery across the globe.