GFEMS Award

UNDER A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE, THE GLOBAL FUND TO END MODERN SLAVERY AWARDS WILLOW INTERNATIONAL AND THE MARKET PROJECT $51,996 TO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT TO SURVIVORS IN NORTHERN UGANDA

Washington, DC (March 31, 2021) – Through a competitive funding process, The Market Project, a global anti-human trafficking nonprofit headquartered in Portland, Oregon and Washington, DC, has been awarded $51,996 by the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) under a Cooperative Agreement with the United States Department of State. In partnership with Willow International, the award will provide trafficking victims and at-risk individuals with opportunities for stable employment and trauma healing in northern Uganda.

“Over 60% of our current workforce at Nguvu Dairy reports experiences of complex trauma. The need to provide survivors of trauma and exploitation with dignity, life-affirming work in northern Uganda is great,” said Dorothy Taft, The Market Project’s Executive Director. “With these additional resources, The Market Project and Nguvu Dairy will be able to offer more opportunities for employment and trauma healing for survivors of exploitation.”

With the funding from GFEMS, over the life of the 21-month project The Market Project will build two new distribution sites and employ at least 30 Ugandans in a trauma-informed work environment. In 2016, The Market Project launched Nguvu Dairy, a for-profit business registered in Uganda, to provide sustainable, market-based, entry-level jobs for youth (though not age-restricted) to sell affordable and nutritious dairy products in northern Ugandan communities. Nguvu’s mission is to deliver quality, fresh products made with local milk, provide products with better nutrition and create dignity-affirming jobs.

Central to the business plan is providing a trauma-informed work environment that utilizes a strengths-based approach to trauma healing for all employees. Offering market-based, stable jobs in supportive work environments for men and women in northern Uganda will bring enduring stability to communities as opportunities are offered to trauma survivors and those who might otherwise be vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

“Increasing the reach of rehabilitation and reintegration programs for survivors of labor trafficking and at-risk populations is a key priority area for us. In partnership with Willow and The Market Project, we will support implementing best-in-class standards of trauma-informed care and survivor-led approaches to reintegrating survivors of overseas forced labor in Uganda,” said GFEMS Director of Grant Programs, Rebecca Buchanan, PhD.

ABOUT THE MARKET PROJECT

The Market Project (TMP) helps men and women find hope and flourish through safe, dignity-affirming, healing work. The Market Project utilizes a market-driven approach to create profitable businesses that offer stable jobs and support healing for survivors of trauma, exploitation, and trafficking. For more Information about The Market Project, visit https://marketproject.org.

ABOUT WILLOW INTERNATIONAL

Willow International’s mission is to eradicate human trafficking and restore the lives of survivors. Willow’s aftercare model specifically addresses the barriers of Ugandan forced labor workers returning home to successfully reintegrate into their communities. Its programs were developed in Uganda, specifically in response to the needs of victims of overseas migrant labor trafficking. Willow has proven results, strong government relationships, and a network of expert partners. For more Information about Willow, visit https://www.willowinternational.org/.

ABOUT THE GLOBAL FUND TO END MODERN SLAVERY

The Global Fund to End Modern Slavery is a bold international fund catalyzing a coherent global strategy to end human trafficking by making it economically unprofitable. With leadership from government and the private sector around the world, the Fund is escalating resources, designing public-private partnerships, funding new tools and methods for sustainable solutions, and evaluating effectiveness to better equip our partners to scale and replicate solutions in new geographies. For more information about GFEMS, visit https://www.gfems.org/.

ABOUT THE OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE

The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) leads the Department’s global efforts to combat modern slavery through the prosecution of traffickers, the protection of victims, and the prevention of human trafficking by: objectively analyzing government efforts and identifying global trends, engaging in and supporting strategic bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, targeting foreign assistance to build sustainable capacity of governments and civil society, advancing the coordination of federal anti-trafficking policies across agencies, managing and leveraging operational resources to achieve strategic priorities, and engaging and partnering with civil society, the private sector, and the public to advance the fight against human trafficking.

This press release was made possible through support provided by the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery under a Cooperative Agreement with the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of State.