Hope Jewelry

About

The mission of Hope Jewelry is to empower human trafficking survivors to reach their God-given potential by creating a market for their handicrafts as well as educating and inspiring our community into action.

Rob & April Hedrick and Jon & Melissa Sanborn have different backgrounds but are very like-minded in their passion to see trafficking victims rescued and rehabilitated and potential victims saved from the horror of this type of victimization.

We chose the name Hope Jewelry because it fits so well with what we’d like to accomplish. We’d like to be a part of bringing hope to women and girls who have suffered greatly. The idea of selling jewelry and accessories made by survivors came to us unintentionally but the concept so clearly made sense to us that we couldn’t help but pursue it. We’ve only been in existence since early 2008 but already have been encouraged by the responsiveness of concerned people wanting to learn more about modern day slavery. Through “home awareness gatherings”* we’ve been able to educate women about the global impact of human trafficking, focusing mainly on sex-trafficking in East Asia.

We are grateful for the organizations working in Thailand, India, Nepal, the Philippines and other countries for the freedom of women and girls. The organizations whose products we sell are using the teaching of handicraft skills as a means of bringing independence and a new sense of accomplishment to survivors of human trafficking. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to support their efforts and to play a part, no matter how small, in bringing hope to the hopeless.

Who are we?
Jon and Melissa Sanborn live in Phoenix, AZ and have two daughters. Jon is currently a pastor of a new church plant primarily focused on international students from Arizona State University and Melissa happily ministers along side him. They both have traveled extensively and have lived outside of the United States, giving them a deep interest and passion for other cultures. It was during their time overseas that they began encountering human trafficking in various forms and became troubled by the issue. Melissa was first exposed to it from stumbling upon the red light district in Amsterdam. Later when they both went to India and realized that many of the vast numbers of children begging on the street are actually kept by men who take the money the children earn in exchange for food (or a beating if they come back empty-handed). This combined with Jon’s education and background in development led them to the conviction that helping the victims be rescued and rehabilitated to the point of self-sufficiency was the ideal for true freedom.

Rob & April Hedrick live in Phoenix, Arizona and are raising two, soon to be three, young boys. They are very committed to their church family, Roosevelt Community Church. They have spent time in several Latin American countries and lived for 2 1/2 years in Belgium putting together a multimedia Bible exhibition for the Belgian Evangelical Mission. April’s experience as a video producer and Rob’s as a graphic designer fit together well to produce this interactive exhibition still used throughout Belgium. There, they saw prostitution in the rural areas with neon lights surrounding windows, scantily clad women sitting behind sheer curtains and men approaching to negotiate a price. They were disturbed by the cultural acceptability of prostitution but even more so as they learned that many prostitutes in Western Europe are trafficked from Eastern Europe; they are tricked or misled and end up in forced prostitution.

Then, in 2007 the film Amazing Grace was released. This phenomenal film recounts the events that culminated in the abolishment of the slave trade in England in 1807. William Wilberforce led this crusade which ultimately was successful in changing the attitudes of Englishmen. They were confronted with the injustice, cruelty and greed surrounding slavery. Modern-day abolitionists capitalized on the film’s release to promote the cause of abolition today. It was through their publicity efforts that Rob and April came to realize the gravity of the situation. They were burdened but did not know how to help. Thankfully, the answer found them. In the creation of Hope Jewelry they’ve found a tangible way to support these women as they rebuild their lives in freedom.

*see “events” for details