Somaly Mam Foundation Voices for Change
Voices for Change is a program that brings the voices of real victims to the world.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
Project City
Project Province/State
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Your idea
Sector Focus
Civil society
Year the initative began (yyyy)
2008
YouTube Upload
Web site (url)
Positioning of your initiative on the mosaic diagram
Which of these barriers is the primary focus of your work?
Invisibility of problem
Which of the principles is the primary focus of your work?
Increase community resilience
If you believe some other barrier or principle should be included in the mosaic, please describe it and how it would affect the positioning of your initiative in the mosaic
This field has not been completed. (333 words or less)
Name Your Project
Somaly Mam Foundation Voices for Change
Describe Your Idea
Voices for Change is a program that brings the voices of real victims to the world.
Innovation
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence?
Voices for Change is a program that brings the voices of real victims to the world.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field?
This program allows real victims who have been enslaved to speak out and tell the world about their experiences, their thoughts and their ideas. Until real names, faces, and personalities are attached to the terrible stories of slavery it is easy to overlook this cause as just another cause in the field of many.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing?
Through partnerships with major publications, through our website, and our online communities we will magnify the victims' voices. We will also garner celebrity support to help further bring attention to these children and young women. Lastly, we are implementing a project that will employ the victims to make identifiable scarves that will be sold in department stores and promoted through high profile supports. The scarves will have tags with the victim's words and will serve as a symbol of the individual's commitment to abolish slavery.
How do you plan to grow your innovation?
We plan to scale our program and our business by expanding beyond Cambodia and beyond Southeast Asia. Somaly Mam is a representative of the victims all over the world. Expanding production to other countries will enable us to help employ victims and keep them out of the slave trade on a global level. Additionally, making partnerships with department stores in countries other than the U.S. will help increase global awareness and support. Lastly, we will continue using our international contacts to build partnerships with publications all over the world for publishing the victims' words.
Do you have any existing partnerships, and if so, how do you create them?
Marie Claire magazine has offered to help promote our scarf project and write articles for the victims' voice. The editor-in-chief of Glamour is on our board of directors and we are working to form the partnership with them as well. Petra Nemcova has agreed to endorse the scarf line and help get the scarves into department stores. We have a strong backing from Hollywood executives and celebrities who we will reach out to for further promotion and PR opportunities. We are working on partnerships with other publications and popular websites.
Impact
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact.
The intended impact is to reach and touch millions of people around the world with this cause and turn them into lifelong supporters and abolitionists.
What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact?
The Somaly Mam Foundation is still a new organization and does not have enough capital for a full time staff other than one full time contracted employee. Lack of funding for the Voices for Change program would be the most likely barrier to hinder it.
How many people have you served or plan to serve?
Somaly Mam has rescued and rehabilitated over 4000 girls in SE Asia. The Somaly Mam Foundation is a new extension of her vision that will help support these operations as well increase awareness on a global level. We plan to reach hundreds of millions of people through foundation campaigns, television appearances, and other sources.
Directly
We have just started the voices for change program.
Indirectly
We have just started the voices for change program.
Please list any other measures of the impact of your innovation?
We will measure success by the number of people who register on our website and commit to ending slavery. We will also measure our reach by projections of readers for publications or viewers of television shows or advertisements. We will also measure the scarf sales and determine success based on growth of sales and expansion into other countries.
Is there a policy intervention element to your innovation?
no
Exactly who are the beneficiaries of your innovation?
Victims of sex trafficking now and in the future. Any children or women how or who will be born in years to come who are at risk of being bought and sold in the slave trade. Victims who have been rehabilitated and are being reintegrated will benefit from having employment that will significantly decrease the possibility of becoming enslaved again.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)?
Through private donations from individuals and corporate sponsors. Foundation events revenue will help fund the project. We will rely on some donated ad space, PR, discounted materials and increased profit margins from sales at department stores. Additionally, the scarf business will sustain itself as a normal business after 1 year and will not need additional capital to continue operating.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization
Annual revenue of $500,000. One full time staff member and some contracted services.
What is the potential demand for your innovation?
We expect with celebrity endorsements and our PR potential, there will be high demand.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability?
Main barriers of financial stability are raising enough funding for the startup phase until we get to break even point and a point where the scarf business is sustaining itself.
The Story
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story.
After learning about this cause my friend and I made a commitment to raise $1MM in a year for the cause and donate it. We saw a clip of Somaly Mam on youtube and contacted her. A few weeks later we were on a plane to Cambodia. After seeing the brothels and the shelters and playing with the girls Somaly asked us to help her create a U.S. based foundation that would help support her efforts and bring the voices of the victims to the world. We were able to garner some supporters to include celebrities like Susan Sarandon, Daryl Hannah and Petra Nemcova. Although Somaly came up with the voices for change program, Petra Nemcova came up with the scarf project and offered to help make it a success.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material
Nicholas Lumpp is founder of Kablinga.com, a website where kids learn
basic business and financial skills by turning their chores and
allowance into their own virtual business. He is also founder and
co-chairman of the Somaly Mam Foundation, a U.S. based nonprofit to
combat human trafficking. A graduate of the United States Air Force
Academy, Nicholas spent 3 years on the prestigious Wings of Blue
parachute team, traveling around the world to parachute into air shows
and professional sporting events before serving as an office in central
California. He holds a degree in Behavioral Science. Currently, Nicholas
resides in Denver, Colorado.
Email: Nicholas@kablingacorp.com
Mobile: 720-284-8243
Websites: www.somaly.org / www.kablinga.com
Emphasis of Work
Prevention and Protection
 | 177 weeks agoTyler Ahn said: I was glad to see an entrant featured on Kristof's blog today. Also curious about the response to Jessica's question. Check out ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 206 weeks agoJessica Ebbeler said: Hi, I really like this innovation as it uses celebrities who can be a really great vehicle for social change and awareness, and taps ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
