On October 27th, Somaly Mam shared her personal struggle to a wrapped audience of over ten thousand. Hosted by First Lady Maria Shriver in California, the nation’s premier forum for women features other noteworthy speakers, including Senior Advisor to President Obama Valerie Jarrett, Madeleine Albright, Katie Couric, Geena Davis, Eve Ensler, Paula Zahn, and many more.

The foundation launched construction on an additional building at Kampong Cham. This building is slated for completion 180 working days from the groundbreaking ceremony, barring issues with rain or flooding. The three-story space will support health, operations, training and education. The ground floor will be divided into three rooms consisting of a health care facility, a psychological counseling space, and an office for staff. The first floor consists of a computer training room and a library. The former will double as an ESL classroom. The second floor will serve vocational training needs, including weaving and sewing.

Free the Slaves awarded Sina Vann, a Somaly Mam Foundation Voices for Change program participant, with the prestigious Fredrick Douglass Award. The award is given to an individual who has survived a form of slavery and is now using his or her life in freedom to help others exercise the purpose of their lives. This award honors the tremendous resilience of the human spirit and emphasizes that many of the survivors of modern-day slavery go on to help others to freedom. The award was presented to Sina by Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.

Sina received $10,000 for a program in training and capacity-building to help her continue and expand her work, and an additional $10,000 will be awarded to her over two years.

Read her story and learn more about the award at Free the Slaves