Meet our Partners
Thailand
Pattaya Slum Ministries/Mercy Ministries/Tamar Ministries
(Pattaya Thailand)
The Freedom Stones project in Pattaya was born in December of 2008 as leaders of these three organizations came together with mutual concern for people in poverty in Pattaya. Each of these organizations work with individuals most vulnerable to trafficking. Freedom Stones offered a training to the leaders of these organizations that month, and out of this training came a joint initiative which we aspire to develop into a vocational and holistic training center that can be used by multiple organizations in Pattaya. Currently, artisans from the slums of Pattaya are making all of our jewelry for this project and have become quite skilled at it.
Current needs for this project
Rahab Ministries (Bangkok Thailand)
The jewelry project at Rahab began in 2005 as the joint experiment of Leah Knippel and Prai (who currently is still in a leadership role at Rahab). Rahab works to help women leave prostitution and offers them training to help them build new vocational avenues. Their jewelry is for sale all over the world now and we will soon be offering some of their pieces on our site.
Current needs for this project
Ruam Mit Foundation (Northern Thailand)
Leah Knippel began this jewelry project in the summer of 2007 with a small group of teenage boys who had been rescued from a life on the streets having been trafficked as small children. Several of these original young men who were trained, now go into the hill-tribes in this region and train women to work for the project so that they will no longer feel the need to sell themselves or their children into prostitution or into child begging gangs.
Current needs for this project
Cambodia
Chomno In, director of CHO
Cambodian Hope Organization
Leah Knippel began working with Chomno In who leads this organization while at World Concern. Based in Poipet Cambodian Hope Organization or CHO works in a notorious border town known as a major transit point for men, women and children being trafficked from Cambodia into Thailand. Villagers in this region are extremely vulnerable to traffickers who coerce or trick them into selling their children. Because most are living in abject poverty, they have very little means of making a living and are more vulnerable to promises of money from traffickers. Freedom Stones has already done an initial needs and interest assessment in Cambodia and is looking forward to commencing production operations by 2011.
Current needs for this project
Ghana
George Achibra, Director of Touch a Life, Ghana
Touch a Life Foundation
Leah Knippel met Pam Cope, Founder of TAL, in early 2009 and knew the destinies of their organizations were somehow connected. She traveled with Pam to Ghana in March of 2009 and began to do some initial assessments on the need for a Freedom Stones program in the area where Touch a Life works to free child slaves. Children as young as 5 years old are often sold into slave labor on Lake Volta where there are still at least 7000 children working. These children may grow into their teen years working 14-hour days with very little food or shelter and enduring abuse from their slave masters. As Touch a Life works to rescue children from Lake Volta, Freedom Stones is developing a prevention initiative which provides vocational avenues for mothers in this area so that they can have the means to take care of their children and abstain from selling them.
Current needs for this project
