The Stoplight Project

The Stoplight Project has no news yet.

1. What issue will your venture address?

Every thirty seconds, a woman or child becomes a victim of sex-trafficking. In the Perna Community of New Delhi, India, nearly 85% of women have been forced into prostitution. Poverty, a lack of economic opportunity, and discrimination against the Perna tribes-people, traditionally considered “untouchables” by Indian society, are the underlying elements that coerce these women and girls into selling themselves. The Stoplight Project is a social enterprise that seeks to mitigate sex-trafficking by empowering women in the Perna Community with a sustainable job option so they can leave the sex trade.


2. Why are you pursuing this specific issue?

The horrors of the sex-trafficking industry reflect a larger problem: the worldwide oppression of women and girls. But as Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, authors of Half the Sky, have noted, “Women and girls are not the problem. They are the solution.” As women acutely impassioned by worldwide sexism and poverty, we developed the Stoplight Project to end sex-trafficking and oppression through this lens; our model focuses on economic and social empowerment, maximizing impact. Tara has worked in the area and we are wholly committed to fundamentally changing the lives of the women in the Perna Community.


3. How will your venture solve this problem?

Our team has already initiated a vocational training program for women in the community, teaching them to embroider. They will employ these skills in stitching distinctive designs on tank tops that our company will manufacture and then sell in North America. Additionally, a substantial portion of revenues will be reinvested in the Perna Community to implement community programs, including a summer leadership camp in the summer of 2010. Ultimately, we believe that empowerment of women will bring us one step closer to overcoming the other seemingly insurmountable challenges – poverty, environmental degradation, and global health equity – our world currently faces.