Tuesday, December 17, 2013

DALLAS-BASED ORGANIZATION NAMED FINALIST IN PARTNERSHIP FOR FREEDOM


Innovation Competition Seeks New Ideas to Support Human Trafficking Survivors in the United States 


Irving, Texas, Dec 17, 2013 -- Dallas-based organization, The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc, has been named as finalist in the first round of the Partnership for Freedom, a competition seeking innovative ideas to better care for survivors of modern-day slavery in the United States. Their proposal was submitted with San Francisco-based Caravan Studios, a division of TechSoup Global.

Caravan Studios and Aidmatrix joined together to submit SafeNight, a concept that will support the provision of on-demand emergency shelter for human trafficking survivors. By creating a mechanism that engages individual donors to fund emergency, on-demand hotel placements, SafeNight will increase the availability of emergency shelter for human trafficking survivors; provide an opportunity for additional services and support to be offered by case managers; and provide data for the field on the real needs for shelter. Their entry was selected from more than 160 submissions representing 260 applying organizations. 

Today, tens of thousands of people in the U.S. are currently living in some type of modern-day slavery. Although efforts to combat this crime have increased in recent years, care and recovery support for survivors remains inadequate. The Partnership for Freedom's first Challenge, Reimagine: Opportunity, is looking for creative, sustainable ways to address three critical issues faced by human trafficking survivors: sustainable housing; economic empowerment; and social services. Two additional Challenges will be launched in 2014 and 2015 to address other ways of combating human trafficking.

"We are excited to be in finalists in the Reimagine: Opportunity Challenge and to get the chance to learn more about innovations in the anti-trafficking field," said Marnie Webb, CEO of Caravan Studios. "When we started understanding the scope of human trafficking in the U.S., we were stunned by the lack of emergency shelter for survivors. We want to help change that with SafeNight."

"Agencies that serve the needs of survivors of human trafficking are in great need of on-demand funding, especially to handle the unpredictable surges in the number of those who need shelter on any given day," said Keith Thode, CTO and COO of the Aidmatrix Foundation. "We're happy to be able to bring Virtual Aid Drive, our tool for donation management, to this community."

Caravan Studios and Aidmatrix, along with twelve other finalists, will participate in an Innovation Workshop in Washington, D.C. in January 2014 to further develop their ideas. The final winners will be announced in Spring 2014 and will receive funding to begin piloting their solutions.

Learn more at www.partnershipforfreedom.org or follow #P4F on Facebook and Twitter.
About Partnership for Freedom
The Partnership for Freedom is a public-private partnership that was first announced by President Obama during his landmark speech on human trafficking in September 2012. It is led by Humanity United, a foundation dedicated to building peace and advancing human freedom, and the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative and Steven Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation.

About Humanity United
Humanity United is a U.S.-based foundation dedicated to building peace and advancing human freedom. At home and in the corners of the globe where these ideals are challenged most, we lead and support efforts to lift up the voices and will of people, ensure good governance and the rule of law, engage markets and business as a force for change, and encourage the exploration of promising ideas and innovations to end conflict and slavery-all with the belief that everyone has the right to a life that is peaceful and free. Learn more at www.HumanityUnited.org or follow us on Twitter (@HumanityUnited) and Facebook. Humanity United is part of the Omidyar Group:  www.omidyargroup.com.

About Caravan Studios
Caravan Studios is the newest division of TechSoup Global, a 25-year old nonprofit organization. TechSoup Global's mission is working toward a time when every nonprofit and NGO on the planet has the technology resources and knowledge they need to operate at their full potential. Caravan Studios delivers on that mission by working with communities to develop tools that help them organize, access, and use local resources to address pressing problems. Find out more about Caravan Studios at www.caravanstudios.org or follow us on Twitter @caravanstudios. TechSoup Global is online at www.techsoupglobal.org.

About Aidmatrix
The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA, with offices in Germany and India. More than 52,000+ leading business, nonprofit and government partners leverage our solutions to mobilize more than $1.5 billion in aid annually, worldwide. The donated goods, money and services impact the lives of more than 65 million people. You can learn more about Aidmatrix at http://www.aidmatrix.org  or follow us on twitter at @aidmatrix .

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