Hi Wenchi and the Changemaker Community,
You are exactly right. Cents of Relief takes a public health perspective largely due to the failure of healthcare delivery in India's red light areas (where many trafficked women and girls reside). In fact, this summer, I have been fortunate to be awarded a fellowship from Yale Medical School to assess the HIV/AIDS risk perceptions of men clientele of women in prostitution in the red-light area. This project will be done with the help of Apne Aap Women Worldwide (AAWW). We believe the information gathered from this study will better prepare us to implement a pilot intervention to reduce the transmission among women in prostitution, many of whom have been trafficked.
Currently, we increase awareness about trafficking to the general public through our website. Yet, Rx Healthy Solutions will be a step towards disseminating this knowledge among trafficked victims. Furthermore, the technical skills acquired by using this program will help empower trafficked victims to the point that some may be able to find other vocations to leave behind the prostitution.
Much of our ability to mobilize students came from them reading about Cents of Relief, whether on the web or newspapers, and inquiring what they could do to help the cause. Our initial efforts at the University of Florida started with Rina and me recruiting student-athletes to advocate our mission. After building up a support base, we turned to professors such as Donna Davis to have their students develop projects for Cents of Relief. We have been lucky to find students all over so eager to end human trafficking.
We deliver the results of our programs to partner NGOs, such as AAWW and Committed Communities Development Trust, that endeavor to stop human trafficking and help women in prostitution. Thanks for telling us about the platform that Changemakers has in South Asia. We hope to learn more about that.
Best,
Anup
Anup Patel, Cents of Relief, CEO and Co-founder
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