What We Do | Empower People New

Our Projects

PROJECT EASE

Supported by L'Oreal, Project EASE (Education-Assistance-Social Empowerment-Employment) is a multifaceted initiative designed to provide comprehensive relief and rehabilitation for trafficking survivors in Dhubri district, Assam, focusing on women and girls left vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project operates in Dhubri, a region prone to devastating floods, which annually displace residents, severely limiting their access to stable education, employment, and resources. This lack of opportunity increases the community's vulnerability to trafficking, particularly among women and girls.
To prevent trafficking, Project EASE focuses on engaging at-risk community members, offering vocational training and education programs that aim to provide alternative livelihoods and empower them to break free from cycles of exploitation. The project also emphasizes rehabilitation, offering survivors counseling services, legal aid, vocational skills training, and support for economic empowerment through entrepreneurship initiatives.
A key aspect of the project is the formation of a survivors' collective, which offers solidarity and helps integrate survivors back into society, while addressing the deep-rooted stigma they often face. Legal and material assistance is tailored to individual needs, helping to prevent re-trafficking and promoting long-term stability for survivors and their families.

PARO VOICE

At the heart of Empower People's mission is PARO VOICE, a groundbreaking initiative that empowers survivors of bride trafficking by transforming them into community journalists. This unique platform not only equips these brave women with journalism skills but also gives them a voice to share their stories and shed light on the pressing issues facing their communities.
The journey begins with hands-on journalism training. Participants learn everything from researching and interviewing to writing, reporting, and using various media formats, including print, broadcast, digital, and social media. This holistic approach empowers them to document their own stories and the realities of their communities, ensuring that their voices are heard far beyond their local areas.
But PARO VOICE is more than just a skills-building program. It provides survivors with a platform to challenge societal norms, advocate for systemic changes, and inspire others through their personal journeys. These community journalists bring attention to issues often overlooked by mainstream media, using their own experiences as survivors to fuel their advocacy. They become role models and leaders, showing other survivors that overcoming adversity is possible and that they, too, can make a meaningful difference in their communities.
PARO VOICE stands as a symbol of resilience, empowerment, and the power of storytelling. It is not just a project—it's a movement and a revolution that amplifies the voices of the unheard and catalyzes change from within the community.

RESILIA

Project RESILIA (Resilience and Education Support for Survivor Families) addresses the unique challenges faced by survivor leaders of bride trafficking, with a focus on supporting their families as they navigate the stigma and pressures that often accompany activism. Many survivor leaders, while courageous in their public fight against exploitation, face immense social stigma within their own families and communities, especially when it comes to their children.
RESILIA is designed to provide comprehensive support to these survivor leaders and their families, focusing on breaking down the social stigma that surrounds them. The project particularly targets the protection and well-being of children—both girls and boys—who often face bullying, discrimination, and stigma due to their parents' history. It also provides crucial support for abandoned survivors who may need additional protection and resources.
The project offers targeted interventions to safeguard girl children, provide assistance to boys who face social stigma or maternal scolding, and ensure the protection of all children of survivor leaders. RESILIA also works to improve education access for these children, ensuring they receive the necessary resources and opportunities to succeed academically. Nutrition programs are another key element, as many children of survivor leaders lack access to adequate food and health services.
Through its holistic approach, RESILIA seeks to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for survivor families, helping them not only survive but thrive in the face of societal pressures. The project is currently active in Yamuna Nagar, Haryana, and aims to foster resilience, empowerment, and hope for the next generation of survivor families.

RISE

The RISE Initiative (Rebuilding Independence and Social Enterprise) is making a tangible impact in the districts of Karnal and Panipat. Dedicated to empowering survivors of bride trafficking, we provide them with the tools they need to establish independence through entrepreneurship. In both districts, survivor-led production units are set up, where women craft high-quality, reusable canvas bags—products that align with both economic and environmental sustainability. These canvas bags are sold to local businesses, corporations, and social enterprises, generating a steady income for the survivors while also contributing to reducing plastic waste in the community.
At the core of our initiative is comprehensive entrepreneurship training for survivors, covering business management, product development, marketing, and financial literacy. This equips them to run their own businesses and empowers them to take control of their futures. In Karnal and Panipat, our production units are more than just workplaces—they are spaces of healing and community. Here, women share their stories, support one another, and gradually rebuild their confidence and sense of self-worth.
Our mentorship program is another crucial aspect of RISE. Each survivor is paired with a mentor—often an experienced businessperson—who provides guidance on managing the operational and strategic aspects of running a small enterprise. From overseeing production timelines to understanding the market and building customer relationships, the mentorship helps these women navigate the complexities of business ownership. Additionally, we have forged key partnerships with corporate clients who are committed to supporting social causes, ensuring a steady market for the canvas bags. These partnerships also raise awareness about bride trafficking and highlight the importance of empowering survivors.
Beyond economic empowerment, the RISE Initiative addresses social issues at their roots. By creating sustainable livelihoods, we reduce survivors' vulnerability to re-trafficking and exploitation, while also raising public awareness about bride trafficking through community engagement and advocacy campaigns. Through workshops, networking sessions, and public awareness drives, RISE creates platforms for survivors to be seen and heard, transforming their narratives from one of victimhood to one of strength, resilience, and entrepreneurship.
Through our work in Karnal and Panipat, we aim to not only change individual lives but contribute to a broader societal shift. We underscore the importance of gender equality, economic independence, and environmental responsibility, providing survivors with the dignity, security, and empowerment they need to thrive.

SURVIVOR FUND

The Survivor Fund is an innovative initiative that taps into the resilience and strength of survivors of bride trafficking, encouraging them to come together and pool their resources, skills, and experiences to uplift others still trapped in cycles of oppression. This fund recognizes the powerful potential of survivors not only to rebuild their own lives but also to become beacons of hope and change for others in similar circumstances.
The core vision of the Survivor Fund is to foster solidarity among survivors, enabling them to use their talents and hard-earned financial resources to create a ripple effect of liberation. Survivors are empowered to take leadership roles in helping free others from the chains of trafficking, contributing their unique perspectives and skills to dismantle systems of exploitation.
The fund operates by encouraging survivors to collaborate and support one another, offering financial assistance, mentorship, and other resources to those still suffering. In doing so, the fund nurtures a sense of empowerment and collective responsibility among survivors. It's a tangible way for survivors to take action, using their own experiences to inspire and empower others.
The Survivor Fund represents more than just monetary assistance—it's a symbol of resilience, hope, and unity. It shows that survivors, with the right support and solidarity, have the power to change lives and lead the fight against trafficking. This initiative calls on everyone to contribute—whether through donations, volunteering, or raising awareness—so that together, we can help survivors not just survive but thrive, and lead the movement for justice and freedom.

Domestic Violence

Sexual Abuse

Child Marriage

Illiteracy

Forced Marriage

Bonded Labour

Trafficking

Sex Selective Abortion

Understanding the Plight of Trafficking Victims

A trafficking victim is someone stripped of basic dignity, respect, and control over their own body and life. These individuals, often driven by a revolutionary spirit seeking change and better opportunities, find themselves exploited due to unfavorable external circumstances. This spirit, characterized by ambition and risk-taking, makes them targets for traffickers who manipulate their dreams and aspirations. The initial consent, often given under false pretenses, leads to a harsh reality where their freedom is brutally taken away, resulting in a state of shock, self-blame, and a loss of hope.

The Struggle for Normalcy and Rehabilitation

Upon rescue, these victims face societal stigmatization and a lack of proper response mechanisms, which deepens their sense of alienation and apathy. They are often transferred to “shelters” that restrict their freedom, further eroding their sense of self. Rehabilitation must focus on providing a safe space and free environment to help them regain their identity and normalcy. The goal is to neutralize the social conditioning that perpetuates their victimhood and to nurture their revolutionary spirit again, guiding them towards a life of dignity, independence, and engagement with society as individuals with unique identities.

Our Model

Protection

Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS)

Leaning In of Stakeholders

Develop capacities of families, communities and service-providers

Advocacy

Evidence-based advocacy for vulnerable children and trafficking survivors.

Yielding Visible Result

Establish improved reporting and monitoring systems

Stay in Touch

Contact

Phone: 011-40671714; 011-69310275

Email: post@empowerpeople.in

A-131, Pocket A, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi, Delhi 110076

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