Imagine a young girl, 8 years old….a young girl who, like most children, likes to run and play, to laugh, to feed her pet bunnies. She is someone’s daughter, granddaughter, sister. Nomi is her name, and not long ago, Nomi was trafficked and held as a sex slave in a brothel, forced to do things no 8-year-old should even have to think about. Even though Nomi is now mentally disabled because of what has happened to her, she is living with hope in a rehabilitation home for children who have been trafficked and exploited.Nomi Network was started by Diana Mao and Alissa A. Moore after they met Nomi on a trip to Cambodia. They started Nomi Network because in Jeremiah it says that God desires to give Nomi and others like her a voice, a hope, and a future. I met a woman working with Nomi Network while on a recent trip to New York City, visiting the Union Square Holiday Market, where they had a booth, selling handmade items.What does Nomi Network do, and how does it make a difference? Nomi Network partners with corporations, organizations, and individuals to provide job/skills training to give women, at risk of being trafficked and sold into slavery, hope and choices. These women are taught to design and create fashion accessories and bags that not only make a fashion statement….but make a cause statement, as well. Recently, Nomi Network received a grant, which they are using to launch a 2-year project in India, partnering with Ruchira Gupta’s organization, Apne Aap. Nomi Network’s Buy Her Bag Not Her Body sells handcrafted fashion items like backpacks, wallets, iPad sleeves, cosmetic bags, handbags, shopping totes, etc.The crime of sex trafficking seems to thrive amongst those who are most vulnerable….individuals living in poverty, who otherwise have no options. It’s unimaginable to think about, but families sell their children to try to make ends meet; young women are coerced into this lifestyle by those promising them a better life and a way to get off the streets.

1. Buy fair trade, knowing that your purchase helps to not only support a job but to give hope. Hope means everything to the victims of sex trafficking. Purchase products from Buy Her Bag Not Her Body; 100% of the proceeds go to train and help women develop careers.

2. Host an in-home party to help raise awareness.

3. Whether you’re an organization, corporation, ad agency, tech creative, etc., you can get involved. Through a collaborative effort, Nomi Network can help even more individuals, meaning you can help put an end to human trafficking. Contact maria@nominetwork.org for more information on ways to get involved.

4. Start your own fundraiser. Get your family, church, and friends involved and come up with a way to raise funds to help Nomi’s cause. Contact alissa@nominetwork.org for more information.

5. If you want to personally get involved, sharing your own talents or time, contact alissa@nominetwork.org for more information.

Be sure to Like Nomi Network on Facebook and follow @nominetwork on Twitter.

Together, we can help give women and girls choices they might not otherwise have….more than that, we can help to give them hope.

(Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. This post is solely my own thoughts, opinions, and views, based on research and education about the topic/organization. Pictures were used with permission of Nomi Network.)