annual report

2020

foreword

Dear friend,

This annual report comes in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. The last few months have affected us in many different ways challenged. But challenges bring growth and new opportunities to impact our world through positive change.

We were writing our sixth year at Pink Door empowering us to serve sexually exploited women and their children. We have stood shoulder to shoulder with women who have been stripped of their dignity and who are often overlooked and marginalized. We are committed to ending the destructive, intergenerational and societal trauma of sexual exploitation.

As 2020 progressed, it became clear that Pink Door could help women in forced prostitution in Berlin through a higher focus on outpatient care. Little did we know that a pandemic would spread across the world and drastically change the situation of women in prostitution in Germany. We responded to the influx of women who needed emotional support and practical help, e.g. finding a place to sleep, applying for government services to meet basic needs such as transport tickets, professional integration etc.

We are continuing the renovations of our new project, Pink Door Country. Here we will provide immediate temporary housing and a place of peace and sanctuary for women and their children. We will open this rural retreat in 2021.

We remain committed to supporting courageous women who dare to embark on the long and difficult journey of writing a new chapter in their life story. Thank you for standing by our side!

Rhoda Phillips

chairman

Fallmanagement

General

The year 2020 brings even more challenges and despair for women in forced prostitution in Berlin. Your problems are already multifaceted and complex. Our social workers supported and accompanied the women with topics such as housing, pregnancy, job search and interviews, job preparation, health insurance, applications for social benefits, doctor visits, filing reports with the police, goal setting and much more! Building a new life and new life perspectives takes time and is a path with ups and downs, which requires a lot of courage and perseverance.



Rückblick 2020

In the first half of the year, the courses offered by the previous social workers continued, but were adjusted due to the pandemic. Participation in courses was no longer an integral part of the counseling service. Instead, the courses were individualized and the women were able to decide which courses they personally would like to continue taking. A regular sewing course and several courses on job hunting and job preparation took place. In addition, regular psychosocial counseling was carried out in individual interviews.

In addition, we at Pink Door used the limited time of the pandemic to develop two course manuals. One on psychoeducation and another on dealing with feelings. These can also be shared with other organizations in the future.

In the second half of the year, the focus shifted even more to individual advice due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions. For this reason, no courses were offered for the time being and psychoeducation as well as job counseling and preparation were carried out individually as part of individual counselling.

The lockdown has posed significant housing challenges for some women as facilities have had fewer places to sleep and housing remains difficult. The lockdown also made outpatient counseling more difficult.

Some of the women had plans to go home for the Christmas period, which required a great deal of planning and consultation, and some ultimately proved impossible. In the case of a client, some serious dangerous situations arose with her family abroad, in which we could only support her remotely with difficulty due to the distance and the legal situation.

The pandemic also forced us to expand our social support network. New cooperation and contacts were established due to the individual needs of the clients caused by the pandemic.

A few highlights of the second half of the year were...

• the offer of a social media course. A client showed great potential and interest in the field of media and design. Through an online introductory training by the current social media intern, the interest and skills of the woman could be supported and she was accepted into the Pink Door social media team.
• A client reported her violent pimp to the LKA. This was taken very seriously and encouraged the woman to continue to stand up for her rights and to look for solutions.
  

accommodation

General

A major obstacle to women getting out of prostitution, especially from Eastern Europe, is finding a place to live. Providing a place to live is a complex challenge for aid organizations like Pink Door. In 2020, we relied on our network connections to bridge this gap. We are flexible and open to trying new and creative ways to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients.

Rückblick 2020

Transitional apartment in Berlin

Due to unforeseen changes in the rental conditions of our transitional apartment, we terminated the contract in April 2020.

Pink Door Country

Nestled in a peaceful German countryside of beautiful, tranquil nature, the Pink Door Country location is the perfect first port of call for women fleeing sexual exploitation. Here they have the time and space to discuss their next steps with a social worker and begin their journey of healing and building a new life free from forced exploitation and violence.

This location has two houses; a large main house and a small cottage. In the garden there are fruit and nut trees. The surrounding area offers many opportunities for hiking, cycling, swimming and exploring.

The renovation of the main house has been delayed due to the pandemic restrictions. However, work has been going on since October. We assume that the house will be ready for residents in May 2021.

The concept of the Pink Door Country location is multifaceted:

• Immediate, safe transitional housing for women and their children
• Space for clarifying needs and goals with a social worker
• Retreat for organizations that serve our target audience
• Organic gardening
• Garden Therapy
• Seminar offers for women who come from sexual exploitation
• Seminar offers for employees and organizations working with women at risk of sexual exploitation
• Manufacture of products sold on the Pink Door online store

Team

General

How are great things accomplished? How do you achieve extraordinary results? Through teamwork! Working in a team has its challenges, but when the constellation of people is right, extraordinary things can happen.



Rückblick 2020

2020 was a year of team changes at Pink Door. Our program director went on maternity leave at the end of August and the other two program staff finished in July and September respectively. We took the time to better understand our clients' needs and to evaluate our program to determine which changes would better serve our clients. In September we hired two social workers to focus on casework, revamping our program and building networks to support the program.

Our administrative staff has remained the same: administrative manager, accountant and financial manager. Her focus in 2020 was on process management, fundraising, human resources and digitization. We had the privilege of mentoring our first intern in administration. She handled social media and marketing collateral design and was a great addition to our team!

Our team has been strengthened by volunteers in the fields of law, translation, psychology, economics, team coaching, construction, tax advice and IT security. We are very grateful for the people who donate their time and expertise to support Pink Door.

Due to the pandemic, almost all training for our employees was conducted online. We have at mmore than 25 training courses, Participated in webinars and conferences in our respective areas of responsibility and thereby continuously improved.

administration

General

The administration at Pink Door forms the basis for being able to pursue our club goals in the best possible way.



Rückblick 2020

• The promotion of Aktion Mensch is now in its fourth and last year of funding. The third factual report was drawn up in late summer and recognized by Aktion Mensch. The next payout installment was then transferred.
• The “Startsocial” counseling grant ended at the beginning of March. The concept for founding a social business including market analysis, storyline, financial plan, etc. was created. It offers a long-term opportunity to bring women from prostitution and forced prostitution into work.
• In the middle of the year we had some personnel changes. Due to the effects of the corona pandemic, we had to reduce the weekly working hours in the program area. A total of three employees have left us. Two new social workers were hired for this purpose.
• In the past year we were able to attend various training courses and seminars on topics such as digitization, communication, voluntary work, Internet law, online marketing, process optimization, content creation, simple language, SGB II / XII, integration assistance, and the sensitive topic of gender.
• The necessary documents and papers were prepared for the smooth change of our association headquarters.
• Various guidelines, manuals and other documents have again been revised.

Public Relations/Fundraising

As early as spring, we initiated financial cuts due to the corona pandemic in order not to jeopardize the existence of Pink Door due to potential financial losses. We are especially grateful to all of the individual and regular donors who have continued to support us during this uncertain time.

finance

In 2020, Pink Door's total revenue was €213,077.47. The expenses were €195,082.04. We conclude our 6th year of providing essential services that contribute to the healing and recovery of sexually exploited women thinking of our loyal partners who make our work possible in the first place. Each issue of Pink Door is scrutinized to ensure all donations are used to the fullest to support women on their way out.

expenditure

challenges

• Corona pandemic and the corresponding requirements for courses/meetings with women
• personnel changes
• Effects of the corona pandemic on working together (video conferences, home office)
• Maintained from two locations

highlights

• new courses with clients: sewing and social media
• Excursions and celebrating birthdays with clients
• Accompaniment when clients start their jobs
• Finding their own living space for clients
• Increased client awareness of their own trauma, the consequences of trauma and how to deal with it
• Development of the concept "Online cake delivery service as a social business"
• Loyal consistent supporters
• Development of social media presence
• Further development of employees through various training courses