For 14 years, the American Himalayan Foundation (AHF) has worked to decrease the trafficking of Nepali girls by providing them the resources they need to stay in school. Generations of historical and cultural gender bias, compounded by the dual scourges of poverty and illiteracy, have left poor Nepali girls at great risk. At worst, girls as young as nine are taken by traffickers to brothels in Ind
ia where they suffer short, horrible lives in bondage. Most contract HIV and are dead before their twenties. Others end up as indentured servants in countries as far away as the Middle East. Even those who are not trafficked are very likely to drop out of school, marry young, and continue a cycle of desperate poverty, illiteracy, and exploitation. AHF began partnering with the Rural Health and Education Services Trust (RHEST), a Nepal-based NGO, in 1998 to combat this modern day slavery. This partnership has created Project: STOP Girl Trafficking (SGT). SGT keeps the girls most at risk – those in communities known to be vulnerable to trafficking, bonded labor and child marriage – safe and in school by taking care of all school fees, materials such as text books and uniforms, and non-material support including mentoring, tutoring, and community outreach and awareness events. By keeping girls in school and education them about the dangers of sex trafficking, you keep them safe. Today more than 10,000 girls have participated in the program and not a single one has been lost to trafficking. Kennedy Placek started Girls Saving Girls as a way to give back, help raise awareness and galvanize support in order to help eradicate the atrocities occurring in Nepal. Her ultimate goal is to develop an easy to execute module that can be ported and executed in other high schools on a national level. Please, help save a girl. $100 can keep a girl safe in school for a year; $1,000 will take her all the way to graduation. To make a donation, please visit http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/ and click on Donate Now. Every dollar counts. To find out more information on Project: STOP Girl Trafficking, please visit http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/projects/girl-trafficking. Contacts:
Kennedy Placek:
E-mail: [email protected]
As the President and Founder of Girls Saving Girls™, Kennedy (class of
2014) oversees the day-to-day activities within her own high school’s
club, and serves as the overall leader for all club chapters nationwide. Kennedy organizes bi-annual meetings for all club Presidents to come
together to discuss fundraising initiatives and organizational goals. Her other responsibilities include (but are not limited to): ensuring that
members understand their jobs and are able to fulfill their responsibilities;
helping recruit new members; providing structure to help ensure
that the work of the club can be accomplished; making sure that the
mission and vision of the organization are achieved; working closely
with the AHF and reporting back to the Girls Saving GirlsTM chapter
presidents with any relevant news, information, etc. Kennedy is available to answer any question you may have on operating
or starting your club chapter. As the Director of Operations, Brenna, who is a graduate of University
of California, Santa Cruz and also Kennedy’s sister, is responsible for all
Brenna Meese:
Director of Operations
Phone: 415.332.1811
Email: [email protected]
As the Director of Operations, Brenna, who is a graduate of University of California, Santa Cruz and also Kennedy's sister, is responsible for all operational performance of the organization on a day-to-day basis. She provides the additional organization support and consultation needed so that club members can balance their support of the cause, while still getting good grades in school. Brenna’s responsibilities include (but are not limited to): supporting the leadership in providing general direction for the organization; providing support in the planning and coordination
of major fundraising initiatives at a local level; managing and tracking all donations received from each club chapter. Brenna brings years of management and organizational skills to Girls Saving Girls™ to ensure that everyday activities run smoothly. Along with Kennedy, she can be contacted for any club operational question you may have. All donations generated by each club should be reported to Brenna on a monthly basis using the Donation Tracker Form provided
in your toolkit.
