Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues,

In Summer 2011, I will be traveling to Thailand with a delegation of women and men from all over the United States to learn first-hand about the human trafficking crisis most affecting the people there. The Not For Sale Campaign to End Sex Trafficking strives to educate liaisons from around the world to help spread the word. Between 600,00 and 800,000 human beings are trafficked across international borders each year, 80% of them women and children. It is estimated that approximately $9 billion dollars in profits are generated annually through slavery and trafficking, placing the trade in human trafficking in the top three most profitable criminal enterprises along with the drugs and arms trades.

My time in Thailand will be spent meeting with those who have been freed out of slavery (learning what it means to build a life after having been a victim of trafficking) and with those who are fighting human trafficking, as well as exploring the area and understanding the culture that I am visiting. Upon my return to the U.S I plan to educate my friends, neighbors and colleagues about what I learned in order to bring more visibility to this region of the world and demand that my country pay more attention. We as global citizens cannot ignore the plights of those who live far away. I hope that my ability to travel there and report back to those in this country will further expose the reality of the sex trafficking pandemic and how we in the west can act out against this crisis. My passion for social work and social justice has inspired this learning experience, and the knowledge I gain on this trip will help me further my goals when I return. Continuing my formal education in the Master’s of Social Work program as well as my experience in macro advocacy around global social injustices is very important to my academic growth.

My trip is going to cost $1,500 plus an estimated $1100 for airfare – this cost also includes contributions to the different NGO’s we will visit along the way. I am contributing $600 of my own money, which means I need to raise $2,000. I am seeking contributions from everyone I know. Any amount will be helpful.

It is hard to ask for money. I am doing so because I believe that this trip is a powerful form of education that will lead to further activism toward a more just world and will also be personally enriching. Please help me in one or all of the following ways:

• Send me a check to help fund my trip and goals.
Whitney Rhodes
10 Meadowstone Ct.
Sacramento, CA 95823

• Log on to www.simpleregistry.com/notforsale to make an online donation to this cause.

• Give me moral support and suggestions about seeking funding.

• Provide names of people you know who might be interested in helping to fund my trip.

I greatly appreciate your caring and your good will. Thank you so much for your time and generosity.