12-year-old Alaya hosted a fundraiser for The Off Ramp this fall and is on the podcast to tell us all about it. She sold fall beverages and bites to customers outside her mom's business one Saturday afternoon and raised $1,100 for The Off Ramp! In this episode, she fills us in on why she decided to support The Off Ramp, what preparation went into the event, and even what scared her the most. As an entrepreneur, she shares advice for anyone who wants to give back and explains how businesses are uniquely positioned to be vehicles for good in the world. Alaya's story and wisdom are inspirational and the perfect hope-filled note for our final episode of 2021. "Something very small can make a really big difference in the world." - Alaya

Join Nell and Christen as they speak with Kim and Marc Wyatt, the founders of the Welcome House Network. Welcome House offers temporary reception housing for refugees and immigrants who do not have a place to live upon arrival to the United States. Our conversation covers the importance and role of partnership in meeting the needs of newly arrived refugees as well as the Afghan refugee crisis. Finally, Kim and Marc offer tips for those who want to welcome refugees but have never before had to overcome cross-cultural or language barriers. "Smiles cross any language and culture." - Kim Wyatt You can learn more about Welcome House here: https://welcomehouseraleigh.org/ https://www.facebook.com/WelcomeHouseRaleigh

Nell and Christen discuss the newly released pandemic-period Impact Report—what's in it as well as their own experienced highs and lows of the pandemic. Their main takeaway is that even during a time of global crisis together we generated immense positive change. Indeed, the report may have The Off Ramp’s name and logo on the front cover but make no mistake: it is your impact report. ⁠ ⁠ You did all of this. And for that, we are immeasurably grateful.⁠ Read/download the report here: https://www.theofframp.org/ ⁠

We recorded this podcast two months ago, several weeks after the tragic shooting in Atlanta. For some, that event feels like forever ago. And for others, it continues to carry with it sorrow and grief and trauma and fear. In today's conversation we speak with Cynthia Aulds of the Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking in Texas about human trafficking and its sources ranging from race and gender which both played a role in the Atlanta shootings as well as displacement and poverty as we're seeing along the US/Mexico border. We did not air this podcast two months ago because we wanted to point to the need for this to be a conversation that is ongoing, that is always important, not one that takes place only when it's in the news and then quickly subsides. We should not rely on the news cycle to drive our conversations and our actions because human trafficking doesn't rely on the news cycle to take place. It's an everyday reality and not on the other side of the world but in our cities, towns, and neighborhoods. https://www.cchttx.com/ https://www.facebook.com/CCHTTX https://www.instagram.com/ccht_tx

This episode begins with the acknowledgment of a significant and sad anniversary in the lives of millions of refugees around the world but picks up with a story of hope and empowerment next! We chat with founder of The Master's Handicrafts, Sharla Shaver. The Master's Handicrafts is an export business in the country of Kyrgyzstan dedicated to helping indigenous women of Central Asia develop marketable skills and provide for their families. Sharla describes what life is like in Kyrgyzstan, what she calls "the Switzerland of Asia," and the challenges the women who work with her face daily ranging from widespread corruption and limited access to healthcare. Plus, we fill our listeners in on the new partnership between The Off Ramp and The Master's Handicrafts and the plans we have for future collaboration. instagram.com/themastershandicrafts.kg facebook.com/themastershandicrafts

The episode starts with a brief update from Christen on the global and national news surrounding displacement and a quick word from Nell on what's going on behind the scenes at The Off Ramp. Then we catch with up with Lupe Franco as she shares her inspiring story of leaving her home in Venezuela and what it's been like to try and reinvent herself in the United States. Once a high-ranking diplomat, she is unable to utilize her experience and education even though she moved to the Washington, DC area in hopes of doing just that. Today, she has tapped into her creativity and is in the early stages of developing a skincare line. Her greatest challenge since starting over? Well, you'll have to listen to find out but it's probably not what you think! You can purchase Lupe's hand-crafted soaps and scrubs at threadsbynomad.com

We've got a new format for our podcast! The episode starts with a brief update from Christen on the global and national news surrounding displacement and a quick word from Nell on what's going on behind the scenes at The Off Ramp. Then we check in with Ferzan Jaeger, founder of Kin and Care—a company that employs refugee women from the Middle East and offers them a career not just a job. We chat with Ferzan about the challenges of owning and growing a small business like hers as well as the challenges of being a refugee woman in the United States. Despite these challenges though, Ferzan shares with us some truly exciting news about her company on the pod! We invite you to join us in celebrating her success and her drive to use business for good. kinandcare.com instagram.com/kinandcare facebook.com/kinandcare

JoAnne Mwosana knows what it feels like to not be able to provide for your loved ones when times are hard. Today, she serves urban refugee women living in Uganda, teaching them skills that they can then use to make an income for themselves and their families. Through the facilitation of the Sewing Hope program, she offers them an opportunity to recover, realize self-sufficiency, and to become leaders in their communities. Our conversation with JoAnne ranges from how she came to lead Sewing Hope, how The Off Ramp and Threads by Nomad are partnering with the program, and the "relief, joy, and hope" its participants experience in learning a new skill. Sewing Hope is a program of Refuge and Hope International which can be found at https://www.refugeandhope.org/.

The Esther Project Shop was created to help combat human trafficking in Kenya through the development of a market for handcrafted artisanal goods made by women who are in vulnerable situations. The Off Ramp assists The Esther Project with product development and quality control, as well as through the sale of their goods at ThreadsbyNomad.com.  In our most recent podcast episode, we interview Stacy about her journey from working in crime, to adopting six children (several with special needs), and finally to combating human trafficking in an unconventional way half-way around the world. We chat about our time together in Senegal in the late '80s and '90s, what trafficking really looks like in Kenya (and elsewhere), and some of the challenges she has encountered in setting up this business.

Meet our friend and partner Pastor Rosalio Sosa! He runs shelters on the border between Mexico and Texas where they care for those who are displaced, help them try to enter the U.S. legally, and support them when they are denied access. Pastor Sosa and Nell discuss why he does what he does, his ability to collaborate with at times conflicting parties, and how he has kept the shelters COVID-free even though he received a positive diagnosis a few months ago. To learn more about Pastor Sosa's work and to support it, you can visit Fellowship Southwest and sign up for their emails here: https://fellowshipsouthwest.org/