Answering a call: Sarah Symons Founder of Her Future Coalition

If you call and no one answers, go anyway.

- Rabindranath Tagore

More information can be found at www.socialchangeleaders.net

Trafficking of women for sexual exploitation is an international human rights crisis. How do girls and women that have been exploited overcome the trauma and create a livelihood? Today we talk with Sarah Symons, Founder and Executive Director of Her Future Coalition, an international non-profit and social enterprise fighting human trafficking and other severe gender violence with shelter, education and employment. In our conversation we:

Learn about Sarah Symons had a career as a songwriter for TV and film and how seeing the film, The Day My God Died, became her inspiration to support women and girls that had been involved in human trafficking Discuss the work of the nonprofit, Her Future Coalition, and it current work in India and Nepal - the epicenter of the sex trafficking Learn about the long-term intensive programs that help individuals overcome trauma, address health issues and mental health challenges, secure housing and create a livelihood  Hear about how Her Future Coalition partners with local-based organizations such as rescue shelters and ‘red-light’ areas where children are at high risk for sexual assault and exploitation Become inspired by success stories of girls and women who are have become leaders in their communities Learn about how poverty is one of the primary risk factors for trafficked children and young adults and solutions require systemic solutions Hear Sarah describe how she got her start in an imperfect and messy way, but believed that the perfect is the enemy of the good Understand how Sarah came to embrace storytelling as method of raising money and how Her Future Coalition is supported primarily through jewelry proceeds and individual giving Learn how Sarah has built a global team for this work including hiring women who were former participants in the program that lived the experience of being trafficked Hear Sarah’s lessons learned and advice for others wanting to make a contribution Get inspired by Sarah’s philosophy of ‘let’s see what love can do’

In this episode we reference: 

Film, The Day My God Died Her Future Coalition Ted Talk, Living Heroically - from slavery to success Book, Standing In the Way 

More about Dr. Sarah Symons:

Sarah Symons is the Founder and Executive Director of Her Future Coalition, an international non-profit and social enterprise fighting human trafficking and other severe gender violence with shelter, education and employment. Over the past 15 years, Her Future Coalition has helped over 5000 women and children in India, Nepal, Cambodia and Thailand to get out of slavery and exploitation, and to build safe, independent and successful lives.