ZOE Foundation Australia

Who is Zoe?

ZOE is a global leader in the fight against child trafficking. Founded in 2002 by Michael and Carol Hart, ZOE’s mission is to reach every person and rescue every child from the horrors of human trafficking. With operations spanning across Thailand, Australia, and other nations, ZOE focuses on prevention, rescue, and restoration for survivors of trafficking.

ZOE’s Work in Thailand

Thailand is a major hub for child trafficking and ZOE is on the frontlines working alongside law enforcement to rescue children from human traffickers and provide them with the support they need to rebuild their lives. ZOE’s comprehensive approach includes:

 

  • Safe accommodation: housing up to 250 children in need.
  • Comprehensive Aftercare: counselling, medical care, education and vocational training for 115 children
  • two safe houses for short-term specialized care and witness protection; and
  • educational and vocational programs

At ZOE, rescued children begin their journey to recovery in a nurturing environment where they receive critical support and unconditional love, empowering them to build safer futures and reducing the risk of re-trafficking.

Watch one of ZOE’s child trafficking survivors shares her story and journey to safety in this video.

ZOE’s Work in Australia

In Australia, trafficking and slavery lack visibility and are underreported crimes, often described as ‘hidden in plain sight.’ ZOE is expanding anti-trafficking efforts in Australia with the following focus areas: 

  • Prevent child trafficking by building a community of people who are aware of and educated about Modern Slavery and safeguard vulnerable populations. ZOE Australia has also developed educational resources, including a free curriculum for secondary teachers. They’re working to create new training programs, educational curricula, and innovative prevention tools like a specialised board game to increase trafficking awareness and support wellbeing teams in schools to have these conversations with students.
  • Rescue: Increase identification of child victims of trafficking and slavery
  • Restore: Services for children and assistance to vulnerable families.

How Can You Help?

Collectively we can create a force that brings about real, lasting change in the lives of vulnerable children. We are proud to collaborate with other Foundations like the Entrust Foundation, to partner with Zoe. Join us in creating meaningful change by:
  1. Register to participate in ZOE Justice Walk Melbourne: Funds raised will be used to support a new care model for children in Australia and combat child trafficking and exploitation.
  2. Prevention Board Game: Help bring awareness and tools like the Prevention Board Game to schools across Australia. Production costs for 1,000 games and facilitator training is $44,330 
  3. Fund research to identify children, gaps in the sector and new evidence based training resources. Your donation helps fund programs tailored to trafficking survivors, including emergency support and professional care. $85,878 annually funds research projects, new programs and training aimed to increase identification, as well as in-house legal counsel at 0.75 FTE.
  4. Funding of programs to help child trafficking survivors in Australia. Includes program costs for tailored, emergency and practical support, as well as a social worker at 0.8 FTE $90,250
  5. ZOE Child Rescue operations in Thailand. Your donation funds investigations and fact-finding, emergency needs for rescued children, carers at Child Rescue Centre, activities/craft supplies for children at the Child Rescue Centre and counselling and therapy. $34,490 per month.
  6. Sponsor a year of LIFE: empower the ZOE Child Rescue team to work alongside Thai law enforcement to rescue a child from slavery and then provide restorative care for their first year. $9,510 per year. 20 currently needed. 

Help fund a Toyota Revo Ute: Used for transporting children schools offsite and also by the children who study at ZOE for excursions. Funds will also provide a rear cover to enable bench seating. $53,923, 2 currently needed.