Jewels 4 God Inc., a family operated in-home direct sales jewery company, announces an unprecedented opportunity for women in America to join the fight against human trafficking while earning part or full time income. This announcement comes just three days after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned that human trafficking is flourishing in the shadows of the global economic downturn.
“Many women want to join the fight against human trafficking and drug addiction but simply don’t know how. We started Jewels 4 God so women can have a practical way to get involved while being immediately financially rewarded for their efforts,” said Tim Zello, who Co-Founded Jewels 4 God along with his wife Michelle.
“In order to be fully empowered and become productive in society, women who are rescued need a restoration of dignity and self-esteem,” he said. “Preventing women from returning to their old lifestyle requires teaching them the skills necessary to have a sustainable job and income, so vocational training and employment opportunities are key.”
Jewels 4 God International teaches marginalized women overseas how to hand craft beautiful sterling silver and semi-precious stone jewelry. In addition to job skills training, they also provide professional counseling services specializing in trauma and abuse.
“Our training was held in India (2005) for women rescued from Falkland Road, the same area in Bombay where the cage scene was filmed in Slumdog Millionaire,” Michelle said. “Last year we returned to India and trained a group of girls in Calcutta rescued from the red light district. One of the girls trained was Suchitra, now 20, from the Academy Award winning documentary Born Into Brothels.”
To date Jewels 4 God has trained in 11 nations – India, Pakistan, South Africa, Jamaica, El Salvador, Aruba, Serbia, Swaziland, Sri Lanka, Siberia-Russia, and Uzbekistan.
“One of the greatest gifts you can give these women is the ability to support themselves,” Zello said. “Our jewelry training, however, provides much more than economic benefits. It gives a sense of self-worth, an opportunity to express creativity, and it is therapeutic.”
Screenshot from Jewels 4 God