The SOLD Project Update

Dear Friends,

Many of you have been a part of The SOLD Project when it was just an idea. Others of you joined while the film was being created. Now marks another significant time for SOLD as we move “From the Film to the Field.”

During the nationwide tour of our film “The SOLD Project: Thailand” we visited 25 cities and spoke to thousands of people about the realities of child prostitution in Thailand.  Our main focus during the tour was to create awareness, inspire advocacy, and show the importance of prevention through education.  Our viewers were moved by Cat’s story, the first recipient of our Scholarship Fund, and to date we have 41 children sponsored. However, as we began to look at our long-term goals and desires to create a sustainable solution to prevent child prostitution in Thailand we began to ask, “is education enough?”

After the tour ended, we were off to Thailand again to find the answer to that question.  Only this time was a lot different from our previous trips: we did not go with a film crew.  It was just Rachel Goble, Rachel Sparks, a camera, and hundreds of ideas and dreams.

Returning to the village of Pazaang, where our groundwork is located, was in a weird way like returning home. Familiar faces full of smiles and many hugs welcomed us.

Besides meeting with the sponsored children and their families, we spent a lot of time asking questions and hashing out our new ideas with Tawee Donchai, The SOLD Project Program Director.  We brought to him our desire to expand the Scholarship Fund into a holistic program that focuses on preventing children from becoming part of the sex industry. We are calling this new program The SOLD Project: Prevention Program.

There are a few things to keep in mind as we explain this new program.  First, we would like it to become self-sustaining and fully operated by Thai locals.  Second, we wish to create a model that can be replicated in other at-risk regions in Thailand.  Third, Rachel Sparks-Graeser and her husband Nathan Graeser will be moving to Thailand for 9 months to develop and strengthen these programs.

The Prevention Program includes our already existent Scholarship Fund, a sponsorship program that costs $365 a year to cover the expenses of one child’s education, but it also includes other programs that we believe are needed in order to truly make steps towards prevention.  The Prevention Program is made up of 1) Scholarships 2) Mentorship for every child that is sponsored 3) After School Programs including sports, art, English, and tutoring 4) Human Trafficking Awareness Programs at the school starting in every 6-grade classroom to teach the children about the realities of human trafficking and prostitution.  To learn more about each of these programs please visit our website www.thesoldproject.com/organization.

The budget to implement a program like this is roughly $100,000 and will cover one year of work.  We are very excited about this new endeavor and hope that you will be a part of the work ahead as we begin to change the lives of the children in Northern Thailand.  Prevention work is one of the greatest gaps in the anti-human trafficking movement, but it does not have to be.

With Gratitude and Hope,

Rachel Sparks-Graeser                        Rachel Goble
Founder                                                  Executive Director

PS… Follow The SOLD Project’s next year of work in Thailand via our blog at thesoldproject.blogspot.com.