Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allana Chris . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Allana , appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

Little Tree Project exists to serve the underserved – victims, survivors, and those at-risk of human trafficking. The world of anti-human trafficking efforts is fairly new and although growing rapidly, there aren’t enough resources on a global or international level to extinguish the issue. This is especially true for South Alabama. Little Tree Project planted in South Alabama because of the lack of resources available in the area and the vast amount of survivors going underserved and undetected.

For the estimated ~50,000 individuals being trafficked in the United States, there are only ~1,600 beds available in anti-trafficking specific residential programs in the nation. It is common for domestic violence shelters and other similar shelters to not accept trafficking survivors seeking refuge due to the levels of trauma they have experienced. Because of this, most survivors fall through the cracks and don’t get the safe housing they need to stabilize and recover from their experiences, and sadly, end up returning to “the life.”

Traffickers prey on the vulnerabilities of others and some of the most common vulnerabilities of a potential trafficking victim are homelessness, poverty, foster youth, individuals with lived experiences in abuse, sexual assault, addiction, and any traumas.

In my time working in a drop in center for survivors of trafficking, I got a call from a survivor who had approached a church for assistance. She had just escaped her trafficker, abandoned her phone and belongings, and was on the run. I had no local housing option for her other than the local women’s homeless shelter. Due to their levels of trauma and the potential liability, other housing programs like domestic violence shelters won’t accept victim-survivors of trafficking. Because she was afraid of the, at times, chaotic environment of a homeless shelter and police escort required, she became fearful, overwhelmed, and in a panic, hung up on me. To this day, I don’t know what happened to her.

For the estimated 6,000 individuals being trafficked in Alabama each day through sex and labor (according to the Global Slavery Index), the National Human Trafficking Hotline only had 216 victims identified in 2021. This tells us that thousands of cases are going undetected or unreported each day in Alabama.

A survivor I worked with for several years, was trafficked in her infancy by her family through pornography and when she became old enough, trafficked through sex in exchange for goods like groceries or drugs. She saw doctors. She went to school. She encountered people on a daily basis and was exhibiting all the signs of abuse and exploitation, but people just weren’t trained to recognize the signs or equipped to help her. She hadn’t disclosed her abusive and exploitative past until she was in her thirties.

When offering referral services to survivors of trafficking, to be accepted into a partnering residential program, a stabilization process and/or psychological evaluation is often required due to the levels of trauma they have had to endure. This also helps organizations know the levels of care they need. There are little psychological services available on short notice in South Alabama, especially with licensed professionals certified in trauma-informed care. If the mental health professional is not trained in the effects of complex PTSD on the brain, the client’s behavior is often misunderstood and therefore misdiagnosed. These factors continue to make the advocacy and program placement process a challenge for us at Little Tree Project.

Allana , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Allana, founder and executive director of Little Tree Project, an anti-human trafficking organization in South Alabama.

I am often asked, “What got you into this?!” My simplest answer is that it has been a journey of revelation. I first learned about human trafficking when I was twelve years old at a small church event. A guest speaker came to share about his rescue and aftercare missions in Eastern Europe. I was shocked by the harsh reality of humans being used in such a horrific way. Experience of sexual assault at three years old made me especially sensitive to the topic, but I can only describe the feeling as a constant, gnawing draw to the cause. Since then, thoughts of people trapped in exploitation would keep me up at night, and although an overwhelming and seemingly impossible mission to tackle, I knew that I had to be a part of the coalition combating it.

As an Alabama Gulf Coast local, I have worked in other anti-human trafficking agencies and saw the great need for awareness and services for the survivors of trafficking in the region.

I have worked in direct survivor aftercare services through trauma-informed case management of adult female survivors in the US. I have also had the privilege of partnering with organizations to participate in international anti-trafficking efforts including rescue missions and after care to dozens of child survivors of labor and sex trafficking. In addition, I have been able to experience the many facets of nonprofit management from administration to fundraising to event planning and more. I am grateful to have worked in organizations that were meeting specific needs, but in my one on one time with survivors, I got to hear what they needed and wanted which was housing and long-term, sustainable assistance.

This led us to create the holistic model of the Little Tree Project. Little Tree Project combats modern slavery through prevention, rehabilitation and restoration through educational awareness efforts, trauma-informed aftercare services, residential program options, and economic empowerment so that we can create a lasting change in our communities, but also foster an independence that is sustainable for these survivors.

In our program, we will be solving problems that not only keep one in an exploitative relationship, but also could lead them there in the first place such as poverty, education, psychological effects of abuse, low self-esteem and self-worth, and more. We believe this sets us apart from other ministries and programs. We aren’t focused on fixing a survivor through religion, therapy, or any other thing making them a “project,” but creating environments of safety, meeting needs, and providing opportunities to heal.

The Little Tree Project is rooted in the journey of discovery and revelation of our purpose in life. Often these survivors have had their dreams stripped away, or they never had an opportunity to dream in the first place. Our residential program will provide a safe place for survivors to allow themselves to dream again. Our focus on prevention, trauma-informed care, housing, and economic empowerment leads us to provide a holistic approach in a survivor’s healing journey. We say that our model is solution-focused and survivor-driven.

We are on the cusp of launching our residential services and program for survivors, but we need help and sustained support to make it a reality.

We cannot accomplish this mission and execute our model in its fullest potential alone though. As modern slavery is a problem that is growing each day, it is going to take an army of us to combat it. That’s why we plead with those we encounter to get involved in whatever capacity they can in supporting us or other anti-trafficking organizations with similar missions. This can look like volunteering, spreading awareness, donating, and more. We can all play a part in the solution to battling this evil! There are no small or insignificant ways to participate.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I went into Pastry School upon graduating from highschool. I found that baking had therapeutic and grounding effects for my past traumas. It became a welcome distraction for me as I was going through severe health challenges during that time as well. As I discovered my talent and giftings in this area, I found myself desiring to open a bakery that provided a mission for good. At the end of acquiring my pastry arts degree, I knew I was supposed to be doing more to help others, but the vision wasn’t clear yet. Instead of opening up that bakery, I had the opportunity to go into ministry school.

In ministry school I met two women, Kristi and Andrea.We found that we shared a passion and conviction for the fight against human trafficking and wanted to make a difference. As I went to pastry school and they both went to art school before our time in ministry, we took our skills and put them to work. We began selling handmade goods, art, and baked goods at local farmers markets to raise awareness and funds for the mission.

During that time, we were able to connect with our community and learn more about the resources available in our area. We were disappointed to find that there was such a gap for this specific group of people. Although we saw that we could assist in the mission by turning our business into a bakery and art studio, employing survivors of exploitation, we knew we needed that first step of restoration for survivors – a safe residential option. That’s when Little Tree Project made the pivot from being a social enterprise, focusing on economic empowerment, to a nonprofit with a holistic approach tackling not only the economic factors that lead to trafficking but also, awareness, trauma-informed services, and housing. I asked myself, “If not us, then who?”

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have battled health problems my entire life, but once I reached adulthood, they amplified. I was diagnosed with autoimmune and neurological disorders that would make it sometimes impossible for me to get myself to the bathroom, much less run a bakery or nonprofit. At times, I felt foolish pursuing a dream and calling that my physical body was in disagreement with. I just needed to realign and consider reframing the “how” and remember the “why” in accomplishing our mission in combating human trafficking and what role I played in that. I didn’t have to start with a whole bakery operation or a full long term residential program, doing it all myself, in order to start helping survivors and spreading awareness. My abilities and skills were not limited to the kitchen, so I became a student of savvy business owners and consultants, increasing my capacity to work in other ways to accomplish our mission.

In addition to physical challenges, the organization faced push back from some of those in our community when Little Tree Project first got started as a Limited Liability Company back in 2017 and made the journey to be a Nonprofit in 2020. Some didn’t believe that human trafficking happens in our area or that our specific services would be of assistance to any survivors encountered. Business coaches didn’t see our model as being successful or even possible. They had never heard of such a model where a nonprofit organization was supported by a social enterprise which also serves as a source of employment for their clients. This led us to search for like-minded organizations to see how they were accomplishing their similar missions and models. Turns out, there are numerous nonprofits making the addition of a social enterprise to their organization as an alternative form of income, but also, an essential part of their program in getting their clients back on their feet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thelittletreeproject.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_littletreeproject/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.little.tree.project/