Frequently Asked Questions

Our Work

  • Who is Give Freedom?

    We are a non-profit, Australian-based charity that partners with communities at risk of human trafficking worldwide to deliver life-changing and sustainable education and development projects.

    Our current goal is to complete The Pokhara Project in partnership with 3 Angels Nepal. This sustainable building project includes a self-funding school, women’s safe haven, vulnerable children’s homes, a community medical centre and vocational training facilities.

    We rely on the generosity of people like you, who share our heart for a world without trafficking.

    100% of your tax-deductible gifts goes to our work in human trafficking hotspots.

    Learn more about who we are and what we do.

  • Where does Give Freedom work and why?
    We partner with communities at risk of human trafficking to deliver life-changing and sustainable education and development projects. Our development model is to work with one Field Partner at a time, on one project at a time, until they reach self-sufficiency. Right now, we are working with our Field Partner, 3 Angels Nepal, to deliver a sustainable building project in the human trafficking hotspot of Pokhara, Nepal.

    Learn more about who we are and what we do.

  • Why does Give Freedom have one Field Partner at a time?
    Our development model is to work with one Field Partner at a time, on one project at a time, until they reach self-sufficiency. This individualised approach means we can give our full attention to hearing, understanding, and responding to a community’s needs and strengths. It also allows us to build a real and authentic relationship with our Field Partner. This partnership becomes the bedrock for creating genuine, long-term community change.

    Learn more about who we are and what we do.

  • Does Give Freedom rescue women and children from trafficking?
    Our Field Partner, 3 Angels Nepal, fights against child and human trafficking at all levels—including rescue, rehabilitation, and education. With your support, our role is to help 3 Angels Nepal achieve this goal. Every dollar you give today will help fund the construction of a sustainable building where children and women can access safety, counselling, and education.

    In 2021, our Field Partner rescued or intercepted 3660 people from human trafficking. Their border monitoring stations intercept an average of 12 people every day. Since 2006, the total number of lives saved is well in excess of 50,000.

    Your gift will help to free, restore, educate, and empower people against trafficking.

    Learn more about who we are and what we do.

  • What is the role of Give Freedom’s Field Partners?
    Located in human trafficking hotspots, our Field Partners are well-established and respected non-profit organisations who share our mission and heart for eradicating human trafficking through education.

    Our Field Partners are the experts on their community’s needs, and the directors of their own holistic projects. They determine what projects are needed by their community, source local resources and specialists for the work, and oversee each step in the implementation process.

    Our role, with your support, is to build our Field Partners’ capacity and impact. Your tax-deductible gifts are critical to making this possible.

    Find out how our Field Partners are selected.

  • Why doesn’t Give Freedom use survivors’ real names and images when sharing stories from the field?
    To uphold the safety and dignity of trafficking survivors, we will use pseudonyms as indicated by the use of an asterisk. The images associated with these stories are representational only. While we do share some real images of safe haven women, we will never do so where the specifics of trauma and violence can be linked to any individual.

    All stories of safe haven women are shared with permission. We acknowledge the difficult line we walk in sharing these stories—we would never want to contribute to the ongoing trauma of any victim of human trafficking, nor be exploitative in any way. This is a responsibility we feel deeply, and we commit to being open to learn and make changes when needed.

  • What is The Pokhara Project?
    The Pokhara Project is a sustainable building project being delivered in partnership with 3 Angels Nepal and generous supporters like you. The project is located in the trafficking hotspot of Pokhara, Nepal. Once complete, the building will include a self-funding school, women’s safe haven, vulnerable children’s homes, a community medical centre and vocational training facilities.

    Read more about The Pokhara Project or make a tax-deductible gift.

  • Why are new facilities needed in Pokhara?
    Our Field Partner’s existing facilities in Pokhara have served their community well for more than a decade. When repairs and rent payments were required, generous supporters like you helped to meet this need. However, our Field Partner has now reached a critical make-or-break point in their work.

    For outreach and impact to continue to grow, larger and more sustainable facilities are essential.

    Here’s why:

    • The existing facilities are rented spaces—and rental costs are increasing each year. This has become an unsustainable financial drain for our Field Partner, and significantly capped their growth and outreach. Your support will enable our Field Partner to become self-sufficient, directing future funds into growing their programs for women and at-risk children.

     

    • The existing facilities have reached maximum capacity. The 3 Angels School, which opened in 2011 with just a handful of children, is now at bursting point. Your support will allow a larger, self-funding school to be constructed, as well as a new women’s safe haven, vulnerable children’s homes, a community medical centre and vocational training facilities.

     

    • As services expand, better security and operational facilities are crucial. The Pokhara Project will centralise our Field Partner’s work within one sustainable site. This will not only enable more efficient day-to-day operations, it will also provide a more safe and secure environment for all the women and at-risk children that participate in the full breadth of 3 Angels Nepal’s programs.

     

    Read more about the Pokhara Project or make a tax-deductible gift.

  • What will happen to the current women’s safe haven in Pokhara?
    We fundraised for the purchase of the current women’s safe haven and adjoining block of land back in 2011. Moving out of rented facilities gave our Field Partner, 3 Angels Nepal, much needed stability and security. When the new facility is built, the current safe haven home will be sold and the funds will be directed back into the running of 3 Angels Nepal’s programs and support their dream of self-sufficiency.

    Read more about The Pokhara Project or make a tax-deductible gift.

  • Are the children who live at the vulnerable children’s homes orphans?
    The children who seek shelter at the vulnerable children’s homes come from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances. Around 20 per cent of the children are orphans who have been referred by local government for safe accommodation. Others have strong family networks, but require a place to stay until their families can be contacted and it is safe for them to return home. Children often come into the care of our Field Partner after being rescued from trafficking, some without any form of identification, which is why it can take time for their loved ones to be located and a safe reunion facilitated.

  • Do the vulnerable children’s homes operate like orphanages?
    No, the vulnerable children’s homes are not orphanages. The homes provide safe accommodation and holistic support—such as healthcare and access to formal schooling—for children who have been rescued from trafficking, or who are at high risk of being trafficked. Our Field Partner’s top priority is always for children to return to their families if it is safe for them to do so.

  • Is it possible that information about the new vulnerable children’s homes, such as children’s demographics, might change once construction is finished?
    Yes, it is possible that these details may change in the coming years once construction is complete.

    It is always our intention to represent our international development work as accurately as possible. The information shared above is based on the building plans currently in motion, which have been designed based on the ages and needs of the children currently cared for by 3 Angels Nepal. However, once construction is complete, details such as the age of the children living in each home, or the number or pairings of each specific home within the one building, may change. Any alterations would take place at our Field Partner’s discretion and would be based on the number of children requiring support within each age group. It will also take into consideration the best use of the new facilities and space.

  • When will construction for the Pokhara Project start?
    Short answer: as soon as possible! Realistically, it may be a few years before we can begin construction. The land has been purchased, and the architectural designs are ready to go. Now we need to raise the funds needed to complete the build. To ensure the most efficient and cost-effective building process, we won’t commence construction until The Pokhara Project is fully funded. The sooner we reach our funding goal, the sooner we can begin—the ideal time to start building works in Nepal is in September of any given year, due to the monsoon season.

    Read more about The Pokhara Project or make a tax-deductible gift.

  • Will the new facilities in Pokhara be sustainable?
    Yes! We always prioritise financial and environmental sustainability, with the goal of delivering projects that can be locally managed and maintained for many generations to come. It is important to us that our Field Partners are the owners of their own projects, both now and in the future. Your support will build our Field Partners’ capacity, resources, and impact until they’re ready to self-sustain their program activities without our help.

    Find out how our Field Partners are selected.

  • How does Give Freedom respect people’s voices and autonomy?
    We are committed to providing support that frees, restores, educates, and empowers. Paternalistic intervention has no place in our work—instead, we collaborate with local Field Partners who ensure the beneficiaries of their development programs have a voice and are empowered and equipped to determine their own futures.

    Find out how our Field Partners are selected.

The Issue

  • What is human trafficking?
    Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transferring, harbouring, or receiving of people with the intention of exploiting them for profit. This might look like forced labour, sexual exploitation, involuntary marriage, criminal activity, or the forced removal of organs for sale.

    Women, men, and children can all become victims of human trafficking. Human traffickers typically use deception, abduction, fraud, or force to ensnare their victims—and violence or blackmail to prevent their escape. People living in poverty are especially susceptible to these tactics, lured by false promises of education or employment, and the desperate hope of a better life.

    Human trafficking is a global crime, and yet it happens in every region of the world. Our current work focuses on the region of Pokhara, Nepal. The open border between Nepal and India means that more people are being trafficked out of Pokhara than ever before. Our Field Partner, 3 Angels Nepal, is working on the frontlines of this trafficking hotspot.

    Learn more about who we are and what we do.

    Sources: United Nations, 2021; 3 Angels Nepal, 2021

  • What makes people vulnerable to being trafficked?
    Poverty is the leading cause of community vulnerability to the tactics of human traffickers.

    Poverty robs people of hope and options, making them more susceptible to human traffickers’ false promises of education, employment, and a better life. Out of desperation, a parent might consider the unthinkable—such as selling a child into marriage. A teenager might agree to travel far away for work—only to find themselves receiving little or no pay, isolated from family support. Poverty can even drive a person to become a human trafficker themselves.

    Our Field Partner, 3 Angels Nepal, works with vulnerable children, women, and men in the trafficking hotspot of Pokhara, near Nepal’s open border with India. You can support their life-changing work by giving to The Pokhara Project, brand-new facilities dedicated to freeing, restoring, educating, and empowering people against trafficking.

    Learn more about who we are and what we do.

    Sources: United Nations, 2021; The Borgen Project, 2015; 3 Angels Nepal, 2021

  • How do human traffickers ensnare their victims?

    Human traffickers often use false promises of education, work or marriage to lure their victims away from their support networks and into a life of bondage.

    The hope of a better life is a strong motivator—and poverty can make people highly susceptible to traffickers’ tricks and schemes. The trafficker might even be someone the victim knows and trusts, like a romantic partner or family member. Abduction, fraud, blackmail and force are also commonly used to ensnare victims.

    Your support of Give Freedom International equips our Field Partners to prevent trafficking and rescue survivors. This includes providing trafficking education to at-risk women and children, so they know the warning signs before it’s too late.

    Learn more about who we are and what we do.

    Sources: United Nations, 2021; The Borgen Project, 2015

  • What is the human trafficking situation in Nepal?
    The open border between Nepal and India means that more people are being trafficked out of the country than ever before—more than 54 young girls and women every day. Most of these women are aged between 12 and 25, although some are as young as eight years old.  

    Our Field Partner, 3 Angels Nepal, is working on the frontlines in Pokhara—one of the country’s notorious trafficking hotspots. Between 2006 and 2020, they helped more than 50,000 people escape trafficking and access education and services such as counselling to rebuild their lives.

    Your support of The Pokhara Project will help 3 Angels Nepal expand and grow their work even further over the coming years—and give freedom to many more vulnerable women and children.

    Learn more about The Pokhara Project.

  • What about the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal?
    Like many countries worldwide, the COVID-19 situation in Nepal was serious. 

    The country-wide death toll exceeded 12,000, with total cases standing at 1 million (Nov 22). Nepal’s COVID-19 vaccination numbers are impressively high, with 92% of the population receiving at least one dose.

    The generosity of supporters like you during the pandemic allowed for additional resources to be on hand to assist our Field Partner with emergency support. Read more about how you helped here.

    This pandemic has highlighted the importance of getting 3 Angels Nepal into their new home as soon as possible. They would have been significantly safer in their new, secure facilities—and would have been able to facilitate lockdown much more easily across all of their programs in a centralised location—not to mention they would have their community medical facilities up and running (see The Pokhara Project for more information about the full building project).

    We are moving forward with these building plans as we are committed to the long-term sustainability and self-sufficiency for our friends and Field Partners, 3 Angels Nepal.

  • Does human trafficking happen in Australia too?
    Human trafficking happens in every region around the world. Unfortunately, this includes Australia. Australia is a destination country for people trafficked from Asia, particularly Thailand, Korea, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

    Give Freedom is committed to raising awareness of human trafficking as a global problem, and to partnering with established organisations working on the frontlines to end human trafficking in their communities. Our development model is to work with one Field Partner at a time, on one project at a time, until they reach self-sufficiency. Right now, we are working with 3 Angels Nepal in the trafficking hotspot of Pokhara, Nepal.

    Learn more about The Pokhara Project.

    Source: Australian Federal Police, 2021 

Your Support

  • How much of my gift goes to the field?
    All of it! Our 100% Giving Model means that every dollar you give goes to our international development work. This is made possible by our generous Give Freedom Foundation Members, who cover the costs of administration and fundraising. All Australian donations are tax-deductible.

    Learn more about our 100% Giving Model.

  • How does the 100% Giving Model work?
    We promise that 100% of every dollar you give goes directly to our international work. 

    This 100% Giving Model is made possible by the Give Freedom Foundation, an incredible group of private partners who cover all of Give Freedom International’s fundraising and administrative costs—everything from credit card processing fees to website hosting costs. This means that every dollar you give is freed up for program activities that directly support women and children at risk of trafficking. Australian donations are also fully tax-deductible.

    Learn more about our 100% Giving Model.

  • Is my gift tax-deductible?
    Yes! All Australian donations to Give Freedom are tax-deductible—and 100% of every dollar you give goes to our international development work.

  • What is the Give Freedom Foundation?
    The Give Freedom Foundation is a small group of private partners who power our 100% Giving Model by generously covering all fundraising and administration costs. This means that every dollar you give can go directly to our international development work.

    Foundation members’ seed funding started our charity, and continues as a crucial investment in our future, enabling our capacity and impact to grow year on year. Every $1 invested in freedom can yield between $2-$8 in economic returns through fundraising and business initiatives—more than double the impact!

    Find out more about the Give Freedom Foundation and how to join.

  • Can I become a Give Freedom Foundation member?
    Yes! The Give Freedom Foundation is for investment-minded individuals and businesses looking to move beyond traditional giving to partner with us in a more collaborative and future-focused way.

    Foundation members have a deep desire to see trafficking eradicated from our world. They invest tax-deductible seed funding over multiple years to accelerate organisational growth, build strategic capacity and enable greater support for women and children living in trafficking hotspots.

    If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you! Simply provide your details and one of our partnership managers will be in touch with more information soon.

    You can also contact us directly on 1300 081 190 or partners@givefreedom.org.au

  • Can a Give Freedom representative speak at my workplace, conference, or community group?
    Yes! We love being invited to speak at conferences, community groups, schools, and businesses about our work with Field Partners in human trafficking hotspots. We will always do our best to accommodate your request for a speaker—whether that’s in-person or via video conferencing.

    Contact us to find out more.

  • Can I fundraise or volunteer for Give Freedom?
    You can fundraise for Give Freedom in lots of creative ways! You might like to host a bake sale, run a marathon, donate the proceeds from a garage sale, or simply share a social media post asking your friends to donate. 

    While we can’t currently facilitate fundraising events on your behalf, we may be able to provide you with anti-trafficking information and promotional images to support your fundraiser. Simply send us an email—and share a little about your fundraising idea and required support—and we’ll be in touch.

    If you would like to volunteer for Give Freedom, please contact us.

  • Can I adopt a child from a vulnerable children’s home?
    No, international adoption is not a service that is provided by Give Freedom International or our Field Partner, 3 Angels Nepal. Many children who receive care at the vulnerable children’s homes have loving families who are eager for them to return home when it is safe for them to do so. Reuniting these children with their families is always our Field Partner’s top priority. If this is not possible, children can receive longer-term or even permanent accommodation at the vulnerable children’s homes until their eighteen birthday.

Bequests

  • Do I have to tell you that I’m including Give Freedom International in my Will?
    You can tell us, but you don’t have to. However, letting us know about your intention to leave a bequest will allow us to plan for the future and, most importantly, give us the opportunity to say thanks! To let us know about your bequest, click here.

  • Is there a minimum amount that I can leave to Give Freedom International in my Will?
    Any amount you choose to give, no matter how big or small, will be gratefully and humbly received. You don’t need to be wealthy to leave a bequest. Many everyday Australians choose to leave what they can as a way of helping to create a better world for our children and grandchildren.

  • What is the correct wording for leaving a gift to Give Freedom International in my Will?
    To make sure your wishes are upheld, it’s important that you get the wording right. Here is our suggested wording for your Will, which we recommend is reviewed by a solicitor or legal representative:

    I give to Give Freedom International Ltd (ABN 58 169 717 355):

    •     The rest and residue of my Estate OR
    •     ___ percent of my Estate OR
    •     ___ percent of the residue of my Estate OR
    •     The sum of $___

    free of all duties and testamentary expenses for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of that organisation shall be sufficient discharge to my executors for this bequest.