We are delighted to announce that Eleison has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery grant program. This grant will enable us to provide access to survivor-informed, community-based mental health care for survivors of modern slavery in the Philippines. Specifically, the project will include implementation of the Healing and Resilience after Trauma (HaRT) program, community mental health education, clinical case management services, and crisis intervention services.
Modern slavery survivors suffer from elevated risks of depression, anxiety, stress, self-injury, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation and attempts. Research has found high rates of mental health symptoms among survivors, with over 61% of survivors reporting symptoms depression, 39% reporting symptoms of PTSD, and 43% reporting symptoms of anxiety, all of which are risk factors for suicide. Many anti-trafficking service providers have never received training on evidence-based mental health interventions. Survivors in the Philippines who are suffering from psychological distress are extremely limited in their capacity to receive high-quality and accessible mental health care that is appropriate for people with a history of modern slavery. Funding from the UN Trust Fund will enable Eleison to provide access to high-quality, accessible, and evidence-informed mental health care that has been tailored to the needs of survivors of modern slavery.
Throughout this project, we will collaborate with survivors to ensure all activities are survivor-centered and informed, partnering with survivors in program design, monitoring, and evaluation. We will work alongside our Survivor Leadership Council (SLC), our client advisory board comprised of modern slavery survivors who take active roles in co-facilitating activities, co-leading research, and serving as programmatic advisors. Survivor partnership and feedbacking will be integrated into all of our monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for this project, ensuring that each step of the way is informed by survivor voices and priorities.
We are grateful to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for their financial support and look forward to our upcoming collaboration!
