For Dawn Manske, it all started with a pair of pants from Thailand that she received as a gift from a friend. This sparked a desire for her to help others when she found out that Thailand had large rates of human trafficking. Despite the fact that the pants weren’t sold in the US, many people asked her about where she got them. According to the U.S. Dept. of State, 27.6 million people are victims of trafficking. Manske is the founder and CEO of Made for Freedom, an online apparel company that hires survivors of human trafficking to provide them with income and opportunity. She said she was inspired by the design of her pants, and a drive to do more for the world. Made for Freedom is connected with centers in eight countries and about 20 cities. These centers employ the women, most of them survivors of human trafficking, who make the products.
When Manske began learning about the danger that survivors face, she said she wanted to be a part of combatting that; which is how the organization got started.
“These pants could be the foundation of a business, a social enterprise that could help fight [human trafficking]. [Later,] my husband gave me this pair of sandals that had this incredible story of a social enterprise, which is basically using business strategies to make a global systematic impact on the world,” Manske said. “I went on a two week research trip to India so that I could better understand [the human rights issue]. I met all sorts of people that were running organizations that were providing dignified employment for survivors.”
In addition, Manske said that those groups also provided services such as training for jobs, life skills coaching and legal counsel. Her company partners with different centers to help survivors make the items of clothing. Starting a company wasn’t her plan as she said she never thought she would be a businesswoman as she has a degree in education and theology.
“Every time Made for Freedom makes a sale, we’re helping provide space for more jobs,” Manske said. “We have products from about 20 different centers, all of them providing dignified employment for either survivors of sex trafficking or those who are in vulnerable situations.”
In addition to Made for Freedom, there is also a nonprofit under the same name that provides scholarships. The organization recently became a member of an alliance called the Freedom Business Alliance.
“What the [nonprofit] does is collect donations for educational scholarships,” Manske said, “The business side is a social enterprise focused on providing dignified employment through commerce.”
Besides providing employment opportunities, Made for Freedom also helps give the women experience and education. Manske said this allows them to be more prepared. Manske said that when employers are looking for a new employee, they want someone with experience.
“[Potential employers are] looking for talent, skills, education and a lot of girls in this situation were taken out of school,” Manske said. “It’s this, very diligent, very intentional focus of providing jobs for some of the most needy in our world.”
Author’s Note: If you want to learn more about this organization, feel free to visit their website (https://www.madeforfreedomfoundation.org) to get more information.
