The Story Behind Your Christmas Gift: A Look at the Impact of Starfish Project

Christmas shopping is full of decisions. (Honestly, I sometimes feel exhausted just thinking about all the pre-Christmas shopping!) Finding something beautiful, choosing a gift that feels personal, and hoping it will bring a smile to someone you love.

But what if the gift you give could also be part of something bigger?

When you shop with Starfish Project, your gift carries a story beyond the person who unwraps it. Your purchase supports a social enterprise that provides employment opportunities for survivors of human trafficking and exploitation, helping women experience freedom, establish independence, and develop careers.

And behind that mission are real people, real progress, and meaningful steps forward every day. That is the kind of gift shopping that makes me excited to put my time and energy into.

As we look back at the third quarter of 2026, we wanted to share a glimpse of what your support helps make possible.

More Than a Job: Creating Opportunities to Grow

At Starfish Project, employment is about more than a paycheck (although a safe, stable paycheck can be life-changing!). It is an opportunity to learn new skills, discover strengths, take on new responsibilities, and begin building a future with greater independence.

For many women, exploitation has taken a deep toll on their sense of self, their confidence, and even their ability to imagine what they might want for their own lives. Hopes, interests, and dreams don't always come with them when they join us. Often, those things begin to emerge over time, as confidence grows and women discover what freedom and choice can feel like.

Through employment and vocational training, women have the opportunity to explore new skills, discover interests, and develop careers they may never have imagined for themselves.

During the third quarter of 2026:

• 59 employees received vocational training across our branches.

• 3 employees began new roles, taking on new responsibilities and opportunities for growth.

• 4 women in our Riverside branch graduated with junior college diplomas, reaching an important educational milestone.

These numbers represent hours of learning, determination, and women taking steps toward futures they are increasingly able to shape for themselves.

A woman might begin by learning jewelry production and later discover an interest in photography, design, administration, or another area of the business. With training and opportunities to grow, a first role can become the beginning of a much longer career journey. We often see women develop far beyond what they could have imagined when they first joined our team.

Care That Goes Beyond the Workplace

Building an independent life takes more than employment alone. It can involve navigating difficult experiences, developing practical life skills, receiving emotional support, and having people who walk alongside you.

That is why care at Starfish Project extends beyond the workplace through our holistic care programs.

During the third quarter, 84 individuals participated in therapeutic classes and activities through our Counseling Department, representing 220.25 hours of support.

Our teams also continued providing one-on-one support, outreach visits, medical accompaniment, volunteer companionship, and care within our safe shelters.

We believe every woman deserves to be treated with dignity and to have access to the support and opportunities she needs as she builds her future.

Reaching Women Beyond Our Workplace

Our work also begins long before a woman joins the Starfish Project team.

Through ongoing outreach, our teams build relationships with women and girls in their communities. These connections take time. Trust is not built in a single conversation, and every woman's circumstances and decisions are her own.

During the third quarter of 2026, our outreach teams:

• Reached over 300 women.

• Connected with 92 women for the first time.

• Conducted 11 outreach visits across five neighborhoods.

• Visited 147 brothels as part of their outreach efforts.

Each visit is an opportunity to build a relationship, offer practical support, and remind someone that she is seen and valued.

We never assume that one conversation will change someone's circumstances overnight. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is keep showing up.

Supporting Families and the Next Generation

The impact of this work reaches beyond individual employees.

Many women are also caring for children and building a future for their families. During the third quarter, 15 children were enrolled in Starfish Project daycare, and 58 children received education allowances.

These forms of support help families access resources that can make a meaningful difference in their everyday lives.

When women have opportunities to build greater stability, those opportunities can also benefit the people they love and care for. Supporting children through education and care is one way we can walk alongside families as they work toward a different future, safe from exploitation.

A Gift With a Story Beyond the Season

When you choose a Starfish Project gift this Christmas, you're doing more than choosing a beautiful piece of jewelry or a thoughtful present.

You're supporting a social enterprise that creates employment opportunities for survivors of exploitation. You're helping sustain a business where women can learn, contribute, take on new responsibilities, and develop careers. And 100% of profits from your gift purchases fund this mission!

We don't believe a gift has to be complicated to be meaningful. Sometimes it begins with choosing something beautiful for someone you love—and discovering that your choice is connected to a story much bigger than the gift itself.

This Christmas, thank you for being part of that story.

Thank you for choosing Starfish Project, sharing our mission, and helping create opportunities for women to experience freedom, establish independence, and develop careers.

Every gift has a story. Thank you for helping make this one possible.

Explore our necklaces or shop all jewelry to find a gift for someone you love.

Author: Shelby Gleadow

Shelby is the Asia Director of Sales & Marketing Development at Starfish Project. She believes stories have the power to bridge people around the world and connect us to something bigger than ourselves. Having called Asia home for more than 20 years after growing up in Austin, Texas, she loves connecting people with the women and artisans behind every Starfish Project piece. When she's not working, she's raising her two energetic boys alongside her artist husband, traveling, or chasing the next adventure—hello, Enneagram 7!