In the United States, well over 100,000 girls as young as nine years old are lured into violent sex slavery; across the globe, attempting to pay for medical bills or schooling, families are tricked into labor trafficking through a small loan with a quickly increasing interest rate. Modern-day slavery can mean many different things: incessant abuse in a brothel, or a 14 hour work day in violent working conditions lasting for generations.
Today, the total number of people in slavery tops 40 million — five times the population of New York City.
At the University of Wisconsin – Madison, a student-developed nonprofit, A Just Brew (AJB), seeks to change this statistic through the sale of donation-based craft coffee. Their profit is donated to International Justice Mission (IJM) — a global team of “lawyers, investigators, social workers, activists and other professionals” working together to “protect the poor from violence in the developing world.”
AJB’s loyal crew of 20 volunteers enables them to keep operating costs down, increasing their donation to International Justice Mission. To date, A Just Brew has helped raise $19,000 for IJM, who has helped release over 40,000 people from slavery thus far.
In celebration of similar student civic engagement, the #OurTomorrow movement is currently being showcased on college campuses across the nation. Through this movement, university students are encouraged to use social media to contribute to an inspiring collage of stories and images promoting service and civic engagement.
Created, developed, and supported by students, A Just Brew is the perfect picture of #OurTomorrow.
Established by a small group of passionate students in December 2014, AJB has since grown to engage in public service from all angles — social entrepreneurship, advocacy for the fight against slavery and direct service from their volunteers. Today, they continue to engage and mobilize their customers in support of true change and a brighter tomorrow.
Operating out of Upper|House on East Campus Mall, AJB features high-quality pour over coffee and loose leaf tea, with specialty crepes served only on Fridays. Different varieties of coffee are available weekly, featuring flavor notes that are enhanced by the quality and brewing method that AJB offers.
Their hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday. Come visit AJB and join the movement — Craft Coffee, One Mission, End Slavery.