Iron Gate Family!
My name is McKenna Strong. I am the account manager here at Iron Gate Global Advisors as well as a student at Utah State University studying Finance and Economics.
Starting January 15, 2020 my husband, James, and I will be in the Dominican Republic as part of the SEED (Small Enterprise Education and Development) Program hosted by Utah State University. The SEED Program focuses on helping and empowering less fortunate individuals in foreign countries to become more successful and independent by teaching them entrepreneurial skills and business principles.
Please visit https://huntsman.usu.edu/seed/index to learn more about SEED.
As SEED interns in the Dominican Republic we will be working with two main partners; Operation Underground Railroad and Mentors International.
Operation Underground Railroad (OUR)
Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending sex trafficking. Their main efforts are based in rescuing individual (mainly women and children) from sex trafficking, slavery and child pornography as well as providing them with a way to recover from such trauma and live fulfilling lives.
We will be volunteering with OUR in multiple aftercare facilities based in the Dominican Republic to help the women and children their learn skills necessary to become self-reliant and independent- a feeling of self-worth they have never experienced before.
Please visit http://ourrescue.org/ to learn more about ways you can make a difference.
Mentors International
Mentors International is focused on helping families escape poverty by providing mentoring, education, microloans, and training. With their help we will find, mentor and teach individuals who currently own small business or have a business idea that they are qualified to pursue. We will teach them skills such as budgeting, keeping financial records, marketing, and using resources efficiently.
Please visit https://mentorsinternational.org/ to find out more about Mentors International and the incredible success stories that they have already had through their work.
We hope that you will follow along as we post every week to share our experiences with you!
A huge thanks to Iron Gate Global Advisors who has made this blog possible.
Disclaimer: The identity of many of the people we will be spending our time with is very sensitive. This is because they have all been rescued from dangerous situations and it is important that we keep their identity safe. Therefore, many of the pictures that we share will include blurred faces.
