NOMI NETWORK 8TH ANNUAL GALA & AWARD CEREMONY,

Sweena Varghese

Nomi Network is a vital non-profit economic development agency fighting human trafficking in India and Cambodia. We provide training and job opportunities for survivors and women at risk of human trafficking, workforce and community development services in areas where human trafficking is prevalent, and products made by survivors and women at risk of human trafficking for brands aiming to develop a more ethical and transparent supply chain. 

We believe that changing one person’s life can change the world. If you have ever skipped a stone across water, you will recall how it created ripples that spread out across the water’s surface. At Nomi Network, we believe our ripple effect begins with the survivors that we train and with whom we partner. By empowering one woman, we are in turn helping her family and her community as her choices dramatically impact the local economy and social structures. We provide the women with skills to become financially independent, legal services to aid them and their families, scholarships for continuing education, and micro-lending skills.

Vocational Training and Job Placement

Our basic curriculum teaches survivors and women at risk not only sewing and manufacturing skills, but also basic literacy, mathematics, financial planning, and micro-finance so that they can enter the workforce and have agency, individually and as a community. The women we train also have upward mobility through opportunities to learn additional skill sets allowing them access to jobs in fashion manufacturing, small business and entrepreneurship. Specifically in India, this curriculum addresses and breaks down caste and religious barriers between different groups.

Partnerships and Capacity Building

Our advanced curriculum equips non-profits and social enterprises that have production capacity with key fashion manufacturing skill sets like product pricing, retail merchandising, trend forecasting, product development, and so on. Our specialty is providing one-on-one technical assistance, production assistance, and mentorship to local entrepreneurs that lead social enterprises employing survivors and women at-risk of human trafficking. 

As a result these enterprises develop and sell more products in the global marketplace, improve retail relationships and grow their staff while improving standards. Recently, those participating in our advanced training curriculum were surveyed by the Asian Development Bank and our scores were top tier for delivering impact. Through our programs, the following organizations have gained additional training and technical skills and/or the opportunity to co-produce products and received distribution support.