2015 Annual Report
A World Without
Slavery and A Better
Life For Women
Since Nomi Network’s inception in 2009, we have provided training and
job opportunities for survivors and women at risk of human trafficking.
Table of
Contents
03 Letter From Diana
04 We Exist
Key Programs
05 Rural Women
Empowerment Training
7 Urban Capacity
Building Program
9 Market Access and
Creating Ethical Supply
Chains
13 A Year Review
17 Financials
18 Take Action
What is
Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking, a form of
modern-day slavery, is the
illicit trade of humans for the
purpose of commercial sexual
exploitation or forced labor. It is
a $99 billion industry that exists
in every country and enslaves
32
million
people.
According to the U.S.
Department of Labor
68%
of raw materials, such
as cotton, cocoa and
coffee, are produced
by way of forced or
child labor.
India
Of the 32 million slaves worldwide, half of them reside in India.
Nomi Network has been providing direct training in Bihar since
2012 in partnership with the U.S. Department of State. We
believe that if we can eliminate modern day slavery in India, we
can eradicate this disease globally.
Cambodia
Cambodia is a source, transit and destination country for
human trafficking. Children as young as 5 are lured by
traffickers and sold by their parents who live in extreme
poverty. Nomi Network has been working in partnership with
local service providers in Phnom Penh since 2009. This year, we
expanded our office to a three-story advanced training center
where we provide fashion, business and entrepreneurship
curriculum to survivors, leaders and women in the social
enterprise and fashion industry.
Letter
From
Diana
Human trafficking and modern day slavery will end in
our lifetime.
Although the figures are daunting—32 million persons are
enslaved today, greater than any other time in history—I
believe that slavery will be eradicated in our lifetime.
From the brick kilns in India to the cotton fields of
Uzbekistan, human beings are being sold, used, and
abused. The girl from which our organization derived
its name, Nomi, turned 16 this year. We celebrated her
Sweet Sixteen in Cambodia with her. As an organization,
we are committed to developing the vast potential of the
numerous “Nomis” who have suffered so much.
We have come a long way from our humble beginnings.
We are now serving over 450 women through our rural
women’s empowerment training, advanced training and
job development services. Our model is simple - we
empower survivors who have been trafficked to become
leaders in their communities and earn income to provide
for their families. This process both reduces the likelihood
of being re-trafficked and simultaneously provides
economic opportunities for vulnerable women.
We work in rural India and urban Cambodia. An
increase of labor trafficking cases in rural Cambodia has
necessitated our work in a rural village three hours away
from the capital. There I met a villager. She, like many
women in her village, went to Malaysia with the promise
of a job as a housekeeper with the goal of sending
money back to her family. The agreement was to work for
just one family, but that family rented her out to multiple
families. Every day she woke at 4am to clean the house.
She was only allowed to have breakfast at 9am if she
finished her chores by then. Afterwards, she had to clean
at least five houses for the rest of the day. Her day did
not end until 10pm and the next day the cycle started
all over again, without a single day off. To maintain this
inhuman pace, her captors drugged her with a substance
that would prevent her from feeling fatigued. Finally, after
more than a year, she crashed. Since the family could no
longer use her, they sent her back and claimed because
she had not fulfilled her two-year contract, they would not
pay her. After coming back without a penny to her name,
her husband abused her and left her with one daughter,
who is currently working in Phnom Penh.
These are just two of the hundreds of women we have
served this year. Each woman has an unique and inspiring
story of overcoming abuse and exploitation. Our vision
is to create 100,000 jobs in the next seven years while
working with families to keep their children in school and
break the vicious cycle of slavery in the most vulnerable
communities around the world. You have all heard that it
takes a village to raise a child, I believe it takes a network
to end modern day slavery. With your support, we can
eradicate human trafficking in our lifetime.
God Bless,
Diana Mao
Co-founder/President
Co-Founder and President of Nomi Network, was
selected to be a member of the inaugural class of
Presidential Leadership Scholars, a unique executive
program that draws upon the resources of the U.S.
presidential centers of Lyndon B. Johnson, George
H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush.
Her focus was drawing upon the experience of former
presidents, their administration leaders and her PLS
peers to strengthen efforts in eliminating forced and
child labor in supply chains.
03 Letter From Diana
We
Exist
To empower survivors of
trafficking to become leaders
in their communities. We
work in areas where there
are high instances of human
trafficking to financially
empower women to feed
their families, stand up
against their abusers and
prevent their children from
being trafficked.
We Exist 04
Rural
Women
Empowerment
Training
Where there are no resources or
social service providers, Nomi
Network’s rural empowerment
training program helps women
secure the critical skills needed
to provide for their families and
transform their communities.
Our curriculum addresses
the psychological and social
barriers to work, builds up the
women’s self confidence, and
prepares them to enter the
mainstream workplace.
This year, we trained
60 women in Bihar,
India, instructing them
in the use high speed
industrial machines, tote bag
construction, apparel design and
production, painting on fabric,
and entrepreneurship.
We trained 70 more
women on legal
issues related to
trafficking, dowry,
and domestic violence. Training
was delivered by a lawyer in the
region.
05 Rural Programs - Rural Women Empowerment Training
Karan*
was beaten by her
husband when she asked him to
stop gambling. The Nomi Network
team and community watch group
formed by Nomi Network graduates
intervened and now the abuse has
stopped.
Nala*was abused and tortured
by her pimp. However, when the
Nomi Network team and community
watch group mobilized local law
enforcement, the pimp left the
village and no longer harasses her.
*Names changed to protect her privacy
Impact in Rural India
• Women’s savings are 10 times more than the average
village savings rate of 2%. Each woman in our program
has a savings account and regularly saves her earnings.
Most women living in the same region do not have
bank accounts, as many of them do not qualify to apply
because they do not have valid ID and status to open a
bank account.
• One hundred percent of women’s children are enrolled
in school and Nomi Network awarded one scholarship
for a survivor’s daughter to go to college to pursue
medicine. She dreams of becoming a doctor and
returning to the village to serve her community.
• Women support one another and help report cases of
domestic violence and human trafficking.
• We see continued upward mobility in our program,
as four women were promoted to sample makers,
four women were promoted to run Nomi Network’s
boutique, and one woman was promoted to be
logistics manager.
• This year, we have provided legal training to 70 women
and empowered them to form community watch
groups where they help report and fight domestic
violence and pimping in their communities.
Nomi Network helped our trainees in Bihar open the first woman
owned boutique in that region. The women were already selling
thousands of petticoats per month and now they have a boutique to
manage. Traditionally, tailors in the region are men but the women we
have trained provide the highest level of customer service and quality.
• With Nomi Network’s assistance, formerly trafficked
women have formed self-empowerment in groups of
12. At these monthly meetings, the women support
one another by contributing a small portion of their
wages into a micro-finance fund. They manage the
distribution and collection of loans to each other and
community members.
Rural Programs - Rural Women Empowerment Training 06
Urban
Capacity
Building
Program
Nomi Network’s urbanbased program focuses
on working with existing
social service providers and
enterprises to strengthen
survivor reintegration and
empowerment programs.
Our office is in the capital of
Cambodia and we provide oneon-one mentorship, advanced
technical training and consulting
services to non-profit and social
enterprises that serve survivors
and women at-risk of human
trafficking.
Nomi Network’s advanced
training center launched this
year. This is where we provide
advanced training to survivors,
leaders, social enterprise
managers and garment factory
workers so they can secure
leadership roles, management
positions, and advanced
opportunities in the garment
and fashion industry
Nomi Network’s advanced
training includes:
Pricing
Trend Forecasting
Catalog Development
Production Planning
Inventory Planning
Fashion Design
Merchandising
Pattern Making
Technical Fitting and Specs
Vendor Compliance
Production Planning
Strategic Planning
07 Urban Capacity Building Program
Partner Spotlight
Nomi Network provides product development and technical assistance to nine non-profit organizations by refining
their products and helping them become more competitive in the retail industry. This is critical for some organizations
that depend on orders to sustain the livelihood of the women they support. Nomi Network helped our partners
diversify their products so they capture a greater share of the market.
Village
Work
Village Work, Sangkhem started in 2001 in a small village in the Kampong Thom province,
northwest Cambodia. The purpose is to create employment and provide skills and livelihood
to vulnerable women in the communities. Currently, it is expanding its production center
to other communities, as well in Phnom Penh. In October 2015, Nomi Network provided
funding to purchase sewing machines, build a new staircase and repair the roof of their
production space.
Agape
Our partner Agape International Missions has worked on the ground since 2005 in
Cambodia. Starting with a single restoration home for 20 rescued girls, AIM now has
multiple projects impacting over 10,000 people a year. Last year, the AIM team has
investigated about 130 cases and identified 187 victims. AIM has the capacity to make
apparel but a limited market. Nomi Network is working with AIM to produce a line of
everyday wear which will reach a more massive market and create employment channels for
women who have just been rescued.
NYEMO
We advised women three years ago to leverage their embroidery skills to make ornaments
instead of large stuffed animals. Since then Nomi Network has been working with them to
design Christmas ornaments and we have been able to help sustain the livelihood of 17
women who otherwise would not have any opportunities to earn income, due to the lack of
demand for large stuffed animals.
Large stuffed Turtle
2015 Ornaments
Urban Capacity Building Program 08
Market
Access
And
Creating
Ethical
Supply
Chains
Women who do not have
access to the market and
economic opportunities are
at risk of being re-trafficked or
living in desolation. Access is
important for survivors and the
organizations that serve these
women.
Material
Nomi Network presented
an informational session on
forced and child labor in supply
chains at the farm, textile and
manufacturing level to 12 large
brands. Thirty percent of those
brands shared their challenges
and are interested in followup discussions on how they
can source more responsibly.
Nomi also facilitates discussions
with designers and emerging
designers on a regular basis.
Labor
At Nomi Network, we create
economic opportunities for
modern-day slavery survivors
in India and Cambodia, so
we’ve seen first hand the
pain and damage exploited
workers experience. But there
is a solution -- legislation that
will require retailers to have
transparent and accountable
supply chains. This will help
prevent exploitation of
workers in those factories,
as well, as create jobs for the
most vulnerable. We have
been working with multiple
stakeholders this year to try and
get the Business Supply Chain
Transparency on Trafficking and
Slavery Act passed.
09
Access and Creating Ethical Supply Chains
05 Market
Mission
Nomi Network uses
sustainable and
locally/regionally
sourced materials,
including rice bags
and repurposed
textile.
Our products are
made by survivors
and women at risk of
human trafficking. They
are paid a living wage,
which in some cases
is at least 250% above
their average wage.
Price
The profits from
our products
are reinvested
to the women’s
programs and
development.
Nomi Network has educated hundreds of small- to medium-sized businesses retailers about human trafficking and
modern day slavery while presenting viable options for them to source more responsibly.
Raising Awareness Amongst Consumers
This year, Nomi Network sponsored and participated in over 52 pop-up shops including Union Square Market,
Columbus Circle Holiday Market and Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Marketplace. At the pop-up shop, average consumers
have the opportunity to learn about this issue first hand and after being educated, all of them make a commitment to
be more responsible consumers.
“I went to the Union Square market in NYC and the two people working
were very informative about Nomi and anti-human trafficking. I will
recommend your critical work to my friends and family,”
-Union Square Customer
This year, we launched a collection with Actress Mamie Gummer to raise awareness about human trafficking and Nomi
Network’s programs. The collection was made by women who two-and-a-half years ago did not know how to sign their
names and never held a ruler. The collection will be distributed in large and small retail stores in 2016.
“Once I learned about the horrors of human trafficking and modern day
slavery, passivity was not a choice. I am committed to helping people who
experience exploitation access support and services.”
-Mamie Gummer
Market Access and Creating Ethical Supply Chains 10
Meet Jules*
Jules was born in Jailpaiguri West Bengal to a Muslim
family that migrated from Bangladesh. She was trafficked
to Bihar by a relative at the age of 12. She was sold for a
bottle of wine. Initially, she was forced to do household
work but was slowly pressured to become a prostitute.
Jules is now 35 and began coming to Nomi Network
training in 2014. She is going through our Rural
Empowerment Training. Prior to her joining the program,
her son and daughter did not attend school but with
Nomi Network’s assistance, Jules enrolled her children in
school and are attending regularly. She is learning how
to stitch from a former Nomi Network trainee who has
now become Nomi Network’s beginner technical trainer.
*Name changed to protect her privacy
Meet Priya*
Priya was born in 1997 into a family that practices
intergenerational prostitution. However, her father
never forced her mother into prostitution. Priya’s mother
helped her go to school and later her father began
showing interest in educating her as well. She joined
Nomi Network’s program in 2013 while going to school.
She earned income during the program, which helped
the family with household expenses. While at Nomi
Network’s training, the team encouraged her to go to
college after completing her 12th examination with
high marks. Priya showed interest in studying medicine
but her family could not afford to pay for her medical
examination and college. Nomi Network awarded her a
scholarship for her medical examination and studies. She
now lives in a city three hours away, preparing for her
medical entrance examination.
*Name changed to protect her privacy
A
Year
Review
Here are some Nomi Network
highlights for 2015....
1. Citi Serve “Stories of Hope” exhibit
2. Nomi ambassadors at an
awareness event
3. Cycle for Change - Dr. Santhosh bikes
around the country for Nomi
4. First Lady Laura Bush buys a Nomi
wallet at the Global Women’s
Network Summit
1
5. Nomi at the NY International
Gift Show
6. Co-founder Alissa Moore at the Union
Square Market sells products
7. Diana Mao speaks at the UN NGO
Committee Conference
8. Diana Mao sports her Nomi bag with
mentor Kathy Ireland
9. Nomi Network’s 5th Annual Gala at
the New York Academy of Medicine
10. Nomi Network participates in
Fashion for Freedom, Dallas TX
11. Alissa Moore speaks at Central
Presbyterian Church about Nomi
Network’s critical work
2
3
12. Young Executive Board hosts Soul
Cycle event
13. Nomi Network displays products and
raises awareness at Hampton Classic
14. Board member Susan Lee raises
$15,000 for Nomi Network running at
the Boston Marathon
13 A Year Review
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12
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10
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A Year Review 14
Letter From Diana 06
Meet Dara*
Dara is 19 years old, born into a family that practices
intergenerational prostitution in Northern India. Dara’s mother
was forced into the sex industry by her grandparents who had no
choice but to comply. When Dara’s grandparents passed away, her
mother decided that she would not be sold for sex any longer and
would not allow her daughters to ever be in that situation. Dara has
two sisters and one brother. Her brother never went to school and
is now a rickshaw driver. Her father tried to convince her mother
to get Dara and her two sisters into the sex trade; however her
mother stood firm and did not allow that to happen. Dara was a
Nomi Network trainee and only after three months, she advanced
to more difficult sewing patterns. She is a hard worker and eager to
learn. This year, Nomi Network promoted her to become logistics
manager and now she is learning how to use the computer to
enter data in Excel, as well, as other Microsoft office programs.
Dara also assisted Nomi Network staff in conducting surveys in
another red-light district a few hours away where Nomi Network
will begin training new cohorts of women. Dara and a few other
promising trainees will be promoted and compensated to deliver
the beginner’s portion of Nomi Network’s training curriculum.
*Name changed to protect her privacy
Financials
Actual Expense Allocation by Program
17%
$111,759
5%
29%
Operations
$201,968
India
$36,288
Cambodia
Market Access/
Ethical Supply
Chain
Advocacy
16%
34%
$119,271
$237,436
Total = $706,722
*Commitment to purchase land in India made,
transaction completed in January 2016
Income Distribution
15%
$131,697
44%
Individual
$387,213
Foundations
Sales
41%
$358,566
Total = $877,476
17 Financials
Take Action
“Research shows that
if you educate and
empower a woman,
she will feed her
children, provide for
her family and break
the vicious cycle of
abuse and poverty.”
Activist Level
$50/month
Helps survivors develop highend product designs and
distribute products so they can
become self sufficient.
Patrons Level
$100/month
Provides childcare for children of
survivors or women at risk who
are creating Nomi products.
Abolitionist Level
$250/month
Provides training to one survivor
or woman at risk for two months,
includes supplies.
Freedom Fighter Level
$500/month
Creates one part-time job for a
survivor or woman at risk who
is illiterate with no previous job
skills.
End It Level
$1000/month
Creates one apprenticeship
position for a survivor or woman
at risk who is illiterate with no
previous job skills.
Take Action 18
Board of
Directors
George Ross (Chairman)
Donna Tobin
Melissa Jane Kronfeld
Patrick Gage
Sarah Jane Murray
Scott Austin
Susan Lee
Our
Team
Kolkata and Phnom
Penh, Cambodia
New York, NY
Diana Mao
Co-Founder, President
Alissa Moore-Williams
Co-Founder & COO
Daisy Pena
Sales Account
Executive
Janay N. Frazier
Visual Designer
Maria Blackburn
Operations and Special Emily Warren
Projects Manager
Program Officer
Young
Executive
Board 2016
Kimberly Maul Green, Chair
Emily Warren, Vice Chair
Alex Pelan
Anna Luce
Caroline Hughes
Daphna Lewinshtein
Board of
Advisors
Amanda Pinelli
An-me Chung
Antonio del Valle
Dorothy Sadd
Francine le Frak
Greg Furman
Gretchen Beidl
Gayle Embrey
19
Supei Liu
Co-founder, Vice
President of Product
Development
and Training
Shankar Kumar
Program Manager
Hom But
Project Manager
Erik Zuker
Janel Koloski
Kenneth Monahan
Kurt Kachidza
Mary-Elizabeth Dooner
Meera Parikh
Parker Billings
Serena Fill
Shivani Honwad
Vera Kolesnik
Harriet Novet
James Vanreusel
Jean-Pierre Verbiest
Jonalie Korengold
Johanna Cappon
Joe Flippin
Joe Salsberry
Kate Ancketill
Lauren Embrey
Mini Rathore
Maroun Mourad
Rose Jennings-Newhouse
Siddharth Kara
Sridhar Seshadri
Shannon Sedgwick Davis
Simon Collins
Whitney Skibell
Freelance Photographer
Audrey Faggot
David Goldman
Jessmina Archbold
Bihar, India
Katrina Sorrrentino
Melissa Kruse
Thank You
On behalf of the women we serve,
their children and communities, Nomi
Network would like to thank you for your
partnership and support. Special thanks
to our lead supporters:
Henry & Myrtle Hirsch Foundation, Michael & Jonalie Korengold Charitable Fund, Richard E Warren Living Trust,
Rochelle & David Hirsch Foundation, The Bastian Family Foundation, The Richard L. Hirsch Foundation Inc.
Generously printed by
20
2015 Annual Report
Get involved! Contact us at [email protected]
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