From truck drivers targeting human trafficking to millionaires pushing for economic equality, three impactful collaborations formed in unexpected places
1. The road warriors driving out human trafficking
Two million and counting – that’s the number of everyday heroes who have been trained to spot and report the telltale signs of exploitation by pioneering US-based charity Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT).
It was set up in 2009 by mother-of-four Lyn Leeburg, inspired by her experience growing up at a family-run motel in Texas. Her childhood taught her the extraordinary reach of the trucking industry, the dependability of its millions of professional drivers, and their potential to serve as the eyes and ears of America’s myriad highways, truck stops and gas stations.
In the photo below, Charles Bernsen – general manager at a Petro travel centre (truck stop) in South Carolina – receives the organisation’s Harriet Tubman award, as well as a hug from Nikki, the woman he helped to escape her trafficker, who had been selling her for sex.
TAT’s grassroots network of watchful guardians has now expanded to include energy companies, the bus industry and local couriers. Big name sponsors include global brands such as UPS and Amazon.
Charles Bernsen receives the organisation’s Harriet Tubman award, as well as a hug from Nikki, the woman he helped to escape her trafficker, who had been selling her for sex. Image: TAT
2. Wildlife crime in the crosshairs of military veterans
Community interest company Savsim draws on the unique skill set of military veterans to support conservation projects and combat wildlife crime.
Ex-members of the parachute regiment have been instrumental in anti-poaching and ranger training initiatives in South Africa, and the CIC has worked with big cat charity Panthera on feasibility studies of lion reintroductions in Ivory Coast.
As part of Zambia’s North Luangwa Conservation Programme, Savsim veterans have worked alongside its rhino and elephant protection unit to ‘optimise stores and armouries’. Elsewhere, vets have joined rhino conservationists in fieldwork such as de-horning and satellite collaring.
In a neat bit of symbiosis, Savsim is supporting veterans, too. Its Warriors of Hope programme uses animal assisted therapy in partnership with the Zoological Society of London to combat PTSD.
Findings from its initial workshops have been ‘astonishing’ says Savsim CEO Joe Giordano. “Together, we can make a meaningful impact on the lives of veterans and the preservation of our planet’s precious wildlife,” he adds.
3. Robin Hoods of the 1%? Meet the Patriotic Millionaires
The haves and have-nots: an age-old division drawn on lines of class and wealth, and one which a non-partisan network of generous tycoons is bidding to tear down.
The Patriotic Millionaires (PM) movement started in the US and has since been established in the UK, where it now counts more than 60 members. They include Gary Stevenson (pictured), the former City trader turned inequality economist.
“We are the canary in the coalmine of a broken system,” says James Perry, a fellow member and the founder of meal delivery firm, Cook.
The Patriotic Millionaires (PM) movement started in the US and has since been established in the UK, where it now counts more than 60 members. They include Gary Stevenson (pictured), the former City trader turned inequality economist. Image: Pål Hansen / Penguin Random House
PM admits the fabled ‘trickle down’ from new wealth creation has failed to materialise and says hoarding by the super-rich 1% – those with assets totalling over £4m – has led to economic, democratic and ecological instability.
Its members’ unlikely solution? “Tax us more.” “We are not suggesting that this wealth is confiscated,” says PM “We are suggesting that a greater per cent of it is contributed to society through tax; that the successes of the economy are shared fairly with working people.”
Main image: Harriet Tubman Award winner and Petro general manager Charles Bernsen receives a hug at the award ceremony from Nikki, the survivor he helped leave her trafficking situation. TAT executive director Esther Goetsch looks on. Photo and caption courtesy of TAT
