From sex trafficking to soap-making: survivors handcraft their futures in Wichita

A Wichita home for women who have survived sex trafficking is expanding to make room for a workshop where the women will craft handmade, all-natural bath and body products.

Raise My Head Foundation, 1716 N. Park Place, announced Wednesday that it will expand its facility by 1,584 square feet to make space for its new cottage industry.

All of the products made at the facility — which include hand soap, hand sanitizer, sugar scrub and a body cream — are made, packaged and distributed by women who were once involved in sex trafficking. Products are available through the foundation’s online store and range in price from $8 for body cream to $45 for a skincare bundle.

Money from sales gives the survivors “much-needed employment and job experience,” a news release about the expansion says. It will also provide money to help operate the foundation.

And it pays. Women working at the foundation will be paid $15 an hour for up to 10 hours a week of work, said Pat Jones, executive director of the foundation.

Created in 2014, Raise My Head Foundation is the only two-year residential program in the state for survivors of sex trafficking, Jones said. It offers housing and services to women older than 18 as they recover from “the physical, emotional and spiritual wounds inflicted by sex trafficking,” the foundation’s website says.

Right now, three women stay at the foundation, but it hopes to grow to serve four or six women at a time. It is screening several candidates to enter the program before its first two residents graduate in the spring and summer of this year, Jones said.

Jones said women who have been involved in sex trafficking and are looking for help can go to the foundation’s website, raisemyhead.org, for information on the application process. Referrals can come from correctional facilities, emergency room personnel, drug and alcohol treatment centers or social workers.

To be considered for a spot at the foundation, women must have a history of sex trafficking, be at least 18 years old and be free of drugs and alcohol for 90 days.

Donations from the Wichita Area Builders Association provided the funding for the expansion, the release says. The Beach Family Foundation gave additional money to Raise My Head to buy equipment, including a new refrigerator, stove, steel tables and storage shelves.

“We are so grateful to the Wichita Area Builders Association, the Beach Family Foundation, and the City of Wichita for partnering with us in this endeavor,” said Vicki Bond, a founding director with Raise My Head.

“Their generosity has enabled us to help survivors of human trafficking know they are loved and valued, and empower them to overcome their past and create a new, healthy life filled with joy and promise.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2019 at 5:00 AM.