A Story About Freedom…and Cute Bags

Have you heard of Freeset?

Rani
Trafficked into this red light area, Rani felt that she had totally lost her identity and lived with a great sense of both shame and fear. She recalls with some emotion that one day while standing in line waiting for customers, two people from Freeset stopped to talk to her, “Kerry asked me my name. He asked me if I was given a better choice, would I take it or not? I said ‘yes’… I joined Freeset immediately and after 3 months I became a permanent staff member.”

Rani needed to move out of the area in which she was living for safety reasons but had no money at the time. Freeset arranged new accommodation on her behalf. Now she says, “I am doing very well at Freeset. I have been able to become a part of regular society since I joined Freeset. Before, I never had the courage or confidence to talk to any ‘regular’ people in society. Since working at Freeset I have developed the confidence within me so I can now boldly interact with anyone.”

Freeset is located in Calcutta, India, helping to free women from human trafficking by providing them employment with dignity through sewing bags. Every woman is provided medical insurance, retirement, daycare for their children, classes to learn how to read and write, and three times the wage they would receive “in line.”