Trafficking Prevention Organization Competing for $2,500 Prize

Pleasanton, CA, April 10, 2012 --(PR.com)-- The SOLD Project has a chance to win a $2,500 grant from GOOD Maker to fund their human trafficking awareness programs in Thailand, and all they need is your vote. SOLD works with children at risk to prevent human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. This summer, they’re hoping to use the funds to train the children in their prevention program to lead human trafficking awareness courses for their community and local schools.

Thailand has long been an epicenter of human trafficking and child prostitution. Since 2007, The SOLD Project has been working to change that through education and community development focused on prevention. “In the past, we've worked with a local organization to host human trafficking awareness programs at our Resource Center,” explains Michael Colletto, SOLD’s Communications Director, “and they’ve been very well received and incredibly influential. But when this grant opportunity came along, we had an idea: let’s train the older girls in our program to lead the awareness courses themselves.”

Vote to fund The SOLD Project's idea by visiting http://jumo-organizations.maker.good.is/projects/traffickingawareness and clicking “Vote for this Idea.” Voting ends at Noon PT on Tuesday, April 17.

If they win this $2,500 grant, The SOLD Project will be able to host trafficking awareness events for the entire community, purchase costumes and sound equipment, and train their students to take a peer-to-peer trafficking awareness course on the road to 2 – 5 local Thai schools, reaching hundreds of at-risk children with a message that could change the course of their lives.

The grant competition is part of GOOD Maker, a new online platform for catalyzing social change. Last month, GOOD asked the organizations in its community to submit ideas for social change related to their current work, and, just last week, opened voting to the public.

Since voting began, the top spot has been fiercely contested, but The SOLD Project quickly climbed into the top five and has stayed there since day one. It’s not hard to see why it’s a favorite for the prize. “The SOLD Project is a respected and energetic program,” writes Jade, who voted for SOLD. “The best part of the idea in training these children is that, not only will it spread awareness and knowledge [that] children and community members can use to protect themselves from being trafficked for sex or labor, it empowers young women to play a leadership role and perform a service, giving back to their local communities. Your vote can have a potentially boundless impact!”

“We’re so excited by your outpouring of support for this project, and thrilled by the prospect of this idea becoming reality,” SOLD President Rachel Goble Carey shared with voters. “Thank You! Please keep spreading the word!”

The SOLD Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit committed to the prevention of child prostitution through education by providing educational scholarships and additional resources to children at risk in northern Thailand. What began as a documentary film project in 2007 is now a holistic, community-based prevention program and one of the leading organizations in the fight to stop child prostitution before it begins.