WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BLOOM ASIA AND THE WORK YOU DO ? Bloom Asia is about breaking cycles of exploitation and abuse in trafficking survivors ’ lives .
Sadly , approximately 6.3 million people are caught in the atrocities of forced sexual exploitation throughout the world today . Thankfully , they are being rescued , but we tend to assume that everything is going to be ok in their lives from that point on . This is often far from the case with that moment of rescue being just the very start of their freedom journey .
Many rescued trafficking survivors , face huge challenges like poverty , debt , lack of education and unsafe communities in their lives ! On top of this , they are dealing with the effects of severe and complex trauma because of what ’ s happened to them . These challenges can lead to a cycle of exploitation which is almost impossible to break out of alone .
This is why Bloom Asia exists – to break that cycle ! We support and empower trafficking survivors to build new lives for themselves after they ’ ve been rescued .
The best news is that we do it through making and decorating cakes !
TELL US THE STORY OF WHAT DROVE YOU TO START BLOOM ASIA AND BUILD IT TO WHERE IT IS TODAY ? I always say when people ask this question that there is the long version and the short version to this story . I ’ ll stick with the short version for today .
I started Bloom Asia after visiting Cambodia in 2006 and meeting some of these precious teenage girls for the first time . I could see how desperate they were for a new life after they ’ d been rescued , but they just didn ’ t know where to start . I wanted to help .
Now , 17 years later , Bloom Asia has its Freedom Centre in Cambodia which can train and employ up to 80 trafficking survivors at a time . It is a sanctuary for these girls who need time and support to recover from their pasts and build strong new futures . We offer hospitality training ( specialising in cake decorating of course !), literacy classes , counselling services , medical care and employment ! It ’ s a bright , beautiful and bustling space !