To The Ends of the Earth - The Beginnings
Human trafficking. Sex trafficking. The sex-for-profit industry. Child trafficking.
Different terminology that points to the same issue. The selling and exploitation of human beings for the monetary benefit of the exploiters. It is estimated the 40 million people are held in bondage globally. This problem can feel insurmountable and complex and if one digs in they can be easily lost in the mire of various strategies to address it with prevention, intervention, and aftercare. With all this in mind, it can be difficult to wrap one’s mind around this issue, much less know how to begin to help.
This complexity is what led to the creation of To The Ends of the Earth (TTEOTE) 501(c)(3). Our founder, John, wanted to help to end trafficking and empower survivors but wasn’t sure where to begin. After doing some research and talking with experts in the field, John realized that his biggest chance of making a lasting impact was by partnering with on-the-ground organizations that are already engaged in anti-trafficking work. He chose to focus on organizations in Nepal and India as these are two sources for the largest redlight district in Asia, Sonagacchi in Kolkata, India. John understood that the organizations that we would ultimately choose to partner with, held the cultural understanding and experience to ensure that their efforts delivered the maximum impact and he sought to come alongside them. After recruiting a small team of volunteers with the same heart for anti-trafficking work, he worked with a former prosecuting attorney from International Justice Mission and sought out and identified three aftercare programs in both India and Nepal that fit the mission of TTEOTE.
“Knowing that each young woman is unique and precious, we paint a picture of hope that gives our survivors strength, boldness and perseverance to live courageously and pursue their dreams. ”
Our team established trust and relationships with these partner-organizations and began to develop programs and avenues to assist them in their goals. In doing so, we found an incredible community of individuals that were based in the US but had a heart for survivors in South Asia and we began to shift our mentality and mission to reflect the goal of connecting our friends, families, and neighbors with anti-trafficking work being done in India and Nepal. We started small with the goal of establishing a secure method for US patrons to provide financial support to our partner organizations. From there, we eventually grew to offer service trips and the creation of programs such as our sponsorship program that allows sponsors to support a survivor’s education through a monthly donation that provides their tuition costs, uniforms, materials, transportation, and various fees.
As our programs expanded, so too did our vision for the future and we began to rebrand to reflect this. Our name is both a vision cast for our hopes of expanding across the globe as well as our intention of connecting people from all over the globe through trips, sponsorship, and investing in sustainable sources of income.
We are currently focusing our attention on Nepal and India but we are hoping to expand to other countries and areas soon. Our logo includes mountains, a nod to our origins in Nepal and its iconic Himalayas. It is also reminiscent of a passport stamp because we believe in adventure and connecting people across the globe.