ABOUT BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM

BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION

 

Beauty for Freedom, a 501(c)(3) Non-profit foundation, mission is to battle the crisis of human trafficking and empower survivors. Beauty for Freedom raises revenue for survivors in the developing world with a fresh approach of self-worth and empowerment —by investing in the leadership of high school, college students, community members and survivors in the US and investing in survivors globally by teaching them through art, photography and music programming/curriculum.

WHY?

 

One of the world’s largest and growing epidemics, The International Labor Organization estimates that 21 million people around the globe are victims of forced labor and sex trafficking annually with 168 million children still in child labor. Human Trafficking is $150 Billion Industry worldwide. Survivors don’t have the opportunity to graduate high school in their native countries. In the US, young women are searching for ways to make a meaningful impact on the world—but don’t know where to begin. Beauty for Freedom answers both needs!

CORE DEMOGRAPHICS

Millennials, 18-30, with “The Color of Freedom” attracting a strong 30-40 something audience as well. 64% women, 36% male. 5,000+ followers on social media (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter).

AS SEEN IN

Nasdaq Opening Bell, GQ Magazine, OOB Mag, Forbes, Yahoo News, Channel One News; ABC, FOX, Observer, Huffington Post Impact.

HUGE GROWTH

 

In 2016 and 2017, Beauty for Freedom sponsored over $50,000+ in art supplies for 500+ youth and survivors of sex trafficking and human trafficking, with the help of fundraising events, curated art exhibits, custom product collections and donations.  BFF has created photography and art therapy workshops for over 500 impoverished  and at-risk youth in Haiti, Hong Kong, Cambodia, France and the Dominican Republic. Fall 2016, BFF produced a series of photography workshops in India meant to promote self-esteem and self-expression for survivors of sex-trafficking and at-risk youth. Beauty for Freedom connects the entertainment, technology, and design communities to advocate arts education worldwide.
To date, BFF has traveled to and developed photography programming for 500+ girls in Cambodia, India, Hong Kong and Dominican Republic. More than 10 committed Beauty for Freedom Ambassador Volunteers serve as strong role models, teaching art therapy/photography programming to these young women and girls and supporting the Beauty for Freedom platform in the US as event producers, social media rock stars, publicists, problem solvers and team leaders.

Buy “Illuminate” Here – $59.99/book

+$9.95 shipping & handling

Buy Illuminate – OUTSIDE US

Produced by NYC-Based 501 (c)(3) non-profit Beauty for Freedom, “ILLUMINATE”, photography book, is a collection of photographs created by young survivors of trafficking and at-risk youth in India that engaged the youth to visualize their community of Kalighat—West Bengal, Kolkata, India (red light district) in an empowered way. During our Beauty for Freedom photography workshop with the youth, we promoted self-esteem and self-expression and “Illuminate” is a reflection of that. Proceeds from the published books will provide funds to Kolkata, India based non-profit New Light and our Beauty for Freedom travel abroad arts therapy programming.

A Community Portrait

 

Dedicated to the children of New Light Kolkata.

India and Human Trafficking

 

Over 1.2 million children are exploited in prostitution throughout India today.
Almost 20,000 women and children were victims of human trafficking in India in 2016, a rise of nearly 25 percent from the previous year.
West Bengal is the most unsafe place for women and girls in India. It tops the list of states where the highest number of cases against women and girls are registered. India alone is home to 40 percent of the world’s estimated over 45.8 million slaves.
Survivors of trafficking are not truly free until they are free of the trauma. Globally, there is an increased need of services for survivors including art therapy.
Art therapy can cover various forms, from drawing to photography to painting and fashion design and many grassroots organizations like Beauty for Freedom are leading the charge in implementing this programming into their platforms, but despite extensive research by therapists and academics, it has been excluded from policies and advocacy material of most NGOs.

Across the world, art therapy is helping survivors regain social and economic independence.

 

This past October, our Beauty for Freedom team traveled to Kolkata and taught a 3-week arts therapy intensive program featuring photography, fashion, painting and mural-making courses to over 100 survivors of trafficking and at-risk youth. The over 5000 images the youth shot culminated in a beautiful book “Illuminate” which we are publishing with 50% of the proceeds being donated to the Kolkata-based NGO and 50% of the proceeds going back into our art therapy programming. These amazing youth are empowered by the fact that their work could possibly sustain their educations for the next year.

Beauty for Freedom Photography Workshop Participants

Ujjwal Marjit  (10)

“I want to grow up and become a Shopkeeper. I want to sell different and all kinds of things. I love playing cricket, and Virat Kohli is my favorite.”

Salma Molla (11)

“I want to become an Engineer.” She insists she is 11 ‘plus’ years old. “I like to dance, but I want to be an engineer. This is an image of my aunt, and she loved it when I showed it to her in the camera.”

Smriti Mishra  (14)

“I want to become a Dancer. I would like to be a dancer, I learn it as well. But I know I may not be able to take care of my family through dance, and if not a dancer, I would like to be a pilot.”

Karan Mallick  (15)

“I want to become a Police Officer. My India is suffering from corruption and depression, I want to free her from it.”

Puja Das (15)

“I want to become and English teacher. I went out making images with my friends and I really enjoyed it!”

Raju Sheikh   (10)

“I want to become an Engineer. I will build airplanes when I grow. Big planes which can carry 200-1000 people”

Shabnam Sisodia (24)

“I want to be a Photographer. I want to take up photography professionally and now I’ve just got my first assignment!”

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

 

Support our Illuminate Project and Support the Dreams of These Amazing Youth. Small sums of money can make a big difference in the lives of victims of trafficking, vulnerable women forced into prostitution and their deprived children.

Buy “Illuminate” Here – $59.99/book

+$9.95 shipping & handling

Buy Illuminate – OUTSIDE US

Illuminate could be a truly meaningful gift for your Colleagues, Employees or Business Partners for the Holiday Season, or just to celebrate another milestone in the history of your corporation.
Email us at [email protected] for Corporate Buying.

Your Impact For Women In Prostitution and HIV Positive People

  • $30 will buy one month’s supply of infant formula for a baby whose mother is HIV+
  • $35 will buy food for one month for a destitute woman who has exited sex work and has no care givers
  • $35 a month will provide medical care to a woman in prostitution
  •  $50 will provide food basket for one month for a destitute family whose household provider is HIV+ and cannot work
  • $100 will provide medical care and supplementary nutrition for one month for a HIV positive woman
  • $250 will meet a rescued girl’s living expenses for one month (food, clothes, healthcare, counseling, recreation etc)
  • $1500 a year will provide monthly art therapy and photography programming per survivor

Illuminate could be a truly meaningful gift for your Colleagues, Employees or Business Partners for the Holiday Season, or just to celebrate another milestone in the history of your corporation.

Email us at [email protected] for Corporate Buying.