SOCIAL PURPOSE

 

THE HOLOS SOCIAL PURPOSE

 Employing survivors of slavery

holos human trafficking slavery social purpose

 

Escaping slavery is just the start. Finding freedom is where Holos can help.

Holos means wholeness. In body, mind and spirit. Your bottle of Holos kombucha is not only a gut-loving, low-sugar soft drink with award-winning taste. We also employ survivors of slavery in a safe, supportive and sensitive way. Everyone deserves to belong, everyone is on a journey to wholeness.

How?

Holos works with charity partners who provide accommodation, counseling and casework support for survivors of slavery, trauma and human-trafficking. Our partners then connect us to those who are ready and looking to learn new skills.

Meaningful work gives us feelings of confidence, pride and productivity. Our co-founders all have backgrounds in volunteering and have learnt first hand the power of opportunity and helping those in need. Back in 2018, we even set aside 25% of our shares for the charity purpose. You can read more of our incredible story below…

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There are thousands of slaves in the UK today. Our mission is to equip and encourage survivors of slavery in the UK to gain meaningful employment through real life training, job opportunities and partnerships.

We're committed to the goal of working with survivors of trafficking to provide long-term, sustainable and hope filled solutions for their future, to reduce the likelihood of further exploitation. We created HOLOS with this social purpose in mind, curating a small-batch product that could provide ample, entry level, meaningful roles for survivors of slavery in locations across the UK. The bigger we grow, the broader our impact.  

We are pioneering new ways to end modern-day slavery:  

  • We employ survivors of slavery in West Sussex and London in partnership  with local anti-slavery charitable referral partners Orchards  and Caritas Bakhita House.   
  • 25% of our original founders’ shares were set aside to create The HOLOS Foundation – charitable body currently in set-up phase with trustees,  focused on rehabilitation for survivors of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in the UK.  
  • We use our social media platforms to raise awareness of Modern Slavery across the UK and to profile organisations seeking to tackle this issue through enterprise and community.

 

If you would like to explore partnership with HOLOS Kombucha, please contact naomi@holoslondon.com

 

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HOW IT ALL BEGAN

It all started with Maya. 

Two of our HOLOS team, Naomi and Megan, met Maya while in Cambodia working with survivors of human trafficking. Maya was trapped on the streets, trying to support five children. She was desperate, and didn't have a pathway out of what her life had become. 

As they got to know her, Naomi and Megan realised that Maya had a passion for nail art. So they spoke with their hotel, and asked if Maya could come and do manicures in the hotel lobby for guests. They supplied her with a start-up nail kit. And in that moment, the seeds of an idea were born: what if a business could be created, which would provide employment and freedom for people like Maya? 

You see, this one small act turned Maya's life around. She was great at nail art. She took the opportunity that had been given to her with both hands, and her business started to grow. A year later she was off the streets, and her children were thriving - in school, safe and happy. A cycle had been broken.

You may not know this, but there are tens of thousands of Mayas in the UK today. Some of them are working in the sex trade. Others are forced into domestic servitude, manual labour or criminal activity. Wherever you are sitting right now, you are probably only a few metres from a modern-day slave. And even if all slaves were freed tomorrow, 40% would end up being re-trafficked, through a combination of vulnerability and lack of opportunity. 

Many of our team had worked with survivors of trafficking, through various anti-trafficking charities. We started to dream about creating a socially purposeful business to raise funds that would support survivors of trafficking, and provide them with the opportunities and confidence they need to break the cycle of re-trafficking and find wholeness and freedom. 

So, that’s the start of the story. Our vision now is to pioneer a new way of socially purposeful business - providing training and employment opportunities for trafficked women, and doing our bit to fight for justice on one of the most critical social issues of our time.

 

HOW CAN I HELP FIGHT MODERN SLAVERY?

     

    Photographs taken by Megan are not of Maya and her name has been changed to protect her identity.