Join us for a wonderful evening of coffee, dessert, live acoustic music and Cambodian photographic art! 100% of the proceeds will benefit our Cambodia prevention projects. Hope to see you at the Frothy Monkey this Thursday from 7-9 pm!

Mark Oleis Design Sponsors FP Coffe Cupping Fundraiser

FP thanks Mark Oleis Design for sponsoring our Coffee Cupping & Dessert Pairing coming up this Thursday, March 24th. Mark has been cutting my hair the past year and I've been so pleased! He just gave me another great cut in preparation for our big event. Check out Mark Oleis Design if you are in the market for excellent hair care!

Hello Coffee Lovers and Abolitionists!

If you are looking to buy coffee for a holiday party or think coffee would be a great Christmas gift, this is a wonderful opportunity to provide a gift that gives back.

Freedom’s Promise has teamed up with the Abba Java Coffee Company to sell fair trade coffee. Abba Java, based out of Franklin, Tennessee, imports organic and fair trade coffee beans from around the world and roasts it locally, to provide the freshest and best tasting coffee available. Abba Java is also dedicated to supporting charities that benefit orphans around the world.

Order coffee today and help support fair trade coffee efforts and Freedom’s Promise human trafficking education and prevention programs!

Products:
Amani – Columbian Decaf Med. Roast - $14
Amazing Gracie – Rwanda Med. Roast - $14
Ayo – Ethiopian Med. Roast - $14
Beyond Jordan – Columbian Med. Roast - $14

Abba Java Online Store – purchase directly through Abba Java by selecting Freedom’s Promise during the check out process and they send us a check for part of the purchase price.

Freedom’s Promise Group Sales – take orders from friends, family, small group, youth group, etc. and place orders with me by e-mail at amber@freedomspromise.org. This way FP earns a higher amount on each bag. E-mail me with questions.

If you are a supporter of Freedom’s Promise and don’t live in the Nashville area – this is a great way to help support our efforts!

Thank you, Amber Barron
615-887-9539

Somali gang members indicted in sex-trafficking ring that included Nashville

Federal investigators on Monday indicted 29 suspected Somali gang members they say forced underage girls into prostitution here and in Minnesota in a large sex trafficking operation.

The indictment targets three groups that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has identified as Somali gangs: the Somali Outlaws, the Somali Mafia and the Lady Outlaws.

According to the indictment, members of those gangs traveled from the St. Paul area to Nashville, where they prostituted girls as young as 13 years old.

“Trafficking children for sex is, to put it mildly, intolerable,” said U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin at a Monday morning press conference.

According to the indictment, the sex trafficking began in Minnesota as far back as 2005, with the gang taking a 13-year-old from state to state to perform sex acts. One of their key points of operation was a Village Hills Drive apartment in South Nashville. Other locations included Seattle and Columbus, Ohio.

Prosecutors said that the gang members had family ties to Nashville, which boasts a significant Somali population, particularly in South Nashville.

Charges include conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children, perjury, obstruction of justice and credit card fraud, Martin said. At least 24 of the 29 indicted have already been arrested, he said.

The Candy Shop Trailer

The Candy Shop is a thirty minute film that Whitestone will release in November. The film is a Fairytale/Parable about the child sex trafficking epidemic that has overrun the city of Atlanta. Up to 500 under-aged girls a month are trafficked for sex in Atlanta. It’s the number one city in the country for child sex trafficking...10th in the world. http://vimeo.com/15468391

Nashville has not reached the level of trafficking that Atlanta has but this is a rising epidemic in the U.S. and needs our attention. We'll keep you posted on the release of this film in the Nashville area and other similar projects that help raise awareness of this very serious issue!

Wine Tasting Fundraiser - October 14, 2010

For more information or to order tickets online go to freedomspromise.org. Tell all your friends and help us make this event a huge success. Proceeds will benefit our Cambodia programs.

Blue Tent Project

Our partner Kone Kmeng supports many projects like this Blue Tent Village. They identify groups in need and then evaluate how they can help. In this case, a community was displaced from Phnom Penh and relocated by the government an hour outside the city. They are now too far to commute to the city for jobs, are settled in a flood plane and have made homes out of scraps and blue tarps. They have no access to health care or schools. Kone Kmeng came in and built a small school and are working to relocate them to higher ground. They also work to ensure the community has access to clean water, food and when possible medical care. Freedom's Promise was able to help provide health education, dental supplies and lite first aid when we visited this past June. We look forward to going back to help this community build a sustainable and healthy future.

If you are interested in helping us reach out to projects like this, please contact us for more information at amber@freedomspromise.org.