Eyes Open International

What Eyes Open International does

Eyes Open International (EOI) is a US-based non-profit organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, that combats human trafficking and modern-day slavery using survivor-informed expertise. Co-founded by Harold D'Souza and Dancy D'Souza — both survivors of labor trafficking and debt bondage — the organization operates on grassroots, event-driven methods: talks, seminars, group discussions, film screenings, awareness walks, and survivor support services including counseling, legal aid, medical assistance, food, and economic empowerment programs. EOI serves survivors of human trafficking as its primary beneficiary segment, alongside vulnerable populations at risk of exploitation, single-mother survivors (in both the US and India), and government agencies that it advises on anti-trafficking legislation.

EOI delivers its mission through four primary service lines: (1) survivor support and direct aid (counseling, legal fees, medical bills, food, financial stimulus, career programs); (2) awareness campaigns via speaking engagements and a documentary film 'To Be Free' (executive produced by Martin Sheen, produced by Benjamin Ryan Nathan via All of Us Films); (3) policy advocacy, including drafting Ohio state legislation protecting labor trafficking survivors and advising the Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking Commission; and (4) academic and research programming through the BGSU Labor Trafficking Education and Research Initiative with Bowling Green State University. Harold D'Souza's federal appointments (US Advisory Council on Human Trafficking under Presidents Obama and Trump, and consultant to the US Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons) provide institutional credibility that is central to EOI's positioning.

EOI is funded primarily through individual donations (one-time and recurring monthly pledges), PayPal donations, project sponsorships, and speaking engagement proceeds — all proceeds from which go to anti-trafficking efforts. The organization has approximately 13 employees, a global footprint spanning the US, India, Canada, UAE/Middle East, Africa, and Europe, a network of regional directors and ambassadors across those geographies, and disclosed fund allocation of 40% to awareness, 28% to aid for vulnerable populations, 25% to direct survivor support, and less than 7% to operational expenses. There is no proprietary technology stack; EOI is fundamentally a human-delivered advocacy and survivor-services organization.

Name

Eyes Open International

Legal name

Eyes Open International

Website

https://eyesopeninternational.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eyes Open International is a Cincinnati-based non-profit that combats human trafficking globally through survivor-informed advocacy, direct survivor support services, awareness campaigns, policy advisory work, and academic partnerships, serving trafficking survivors and vulnerable populations across the US, India, Canada, and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Anti-Trafficking Advocacy and Survivor Support Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Education / Education in Emergencies (EiE) (BPADADAN), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Anti-trafficking advocacy
• Human trafficking awareness
• Survivor support services
• Anti-trafficking speaking engagements
• Survivor-informed nonprofit programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati, Ohio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Eyes Open International operates primarily through donations from a generous network of donors. The organization aims to create life-long partnerships where donors play an active role in operations. Monthly pledges from donors support the organization's mission. Funds are allocated: 40% to raising awareness, 28% to aid for vulnerable populations, 25% to survivor support (food, legal fees, medical bills), and less than 7% to operational expenses.
2. Speaking Engagement Proceeds: All proceeds from speaking engagements by Harold D'Souza and team members go directly to helping victims of human trafficking. The organization offers motivational and inspirational speakers for events.
3. Project Sponsorship: Donors can personally donate or completely/partially sponsor specific EOI projects, with donor coordinators connecting personally with contributors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Eyes Open International is a survivor-led non-profit organization that combats modern-day slavery and human trafficking through survivor-informed grassroots awareness campaigns, direct survivor support services (counseling, legal aid, medical care, financial aid), government advisory consulting, inspirational speaking engagements, and educational programming including a documentary film in development. The organization operates donation-funded programs that transform victims into survivors through empowerment, resilience-building, and policy advocacy at federal, state, and international levels.

Product overview

Eyes Open International operates as a non-profit organization offering survivor-informed advocacy programs to combat human trafficking. The organization's core offerings include grassroots awareness campaigns, government consulting services, survivor support programs (counseling, legal fees, medical bills, financial aid), and documentary film production. Their services are delivered through speaking engagements, training workshops, community events, and a comprehensive resource directory featuring international hotlines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eyes Open International Survivor-Informed Advocacy Programs Non-profit advocacy programs focused on combating human trafficking through survivor-informed expertise, grassroots methods, awareness campaigns, government consulting, and direct survivor support including counseling, legal aid, and medical assistance for survivors and vulnerable populations.
• "To Be Free" Documentary Film Feature documentary film in development highlighting the pervasiveness of labor trafficking in the United States, how to spot it in neighborhoods, and systematic steps to eradicate this form of modern-day slavery, produced and directed by Benjamin Ryan Nathan and executive produced by Martin Sheen.
• Speaking Engagements and Training Workshops Inspirational and motivational speaking services delivered by Harold D'Souza and EOI team members, featuring presentations, seminars, and training workshops on human trafficking awareness and prevention offered to event organizers, universities, government bodies, and community organizations.
• Human Trafficking Resource Directory and Hotlines Comprehensive online resource center providing human trafficking hotlines across the United States, Canada, and India, along with guidance for victims and awareness materials accessible via the EOI website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Speaking panel with over 10,000 attendees
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Bowling Green State University (BGSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBGSU Labor Trafficking Education and Research Initiative co-founded by Dr. Lara Wilken. Tracy McGinley serves as Teaching Professor and Program Director for Criminal Justice Program. Ongoing educational programming, student awareness initiatives, and labor trafficking education research.
• Justice at LastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarold D'Souza serves on the Board of Directors. Organization focused on legal advocacy and support for trafficking survivors.
• Collaborative to End Human TraffickingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarold D'Souza serves on the Survivor Advisory Council. Collaborative effort involving Indo-American community members working to end human trafficking.
• Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarold D'Souza serves on the Ambassador Advisory Council. EOI engaged in drafting legislation protecting survivors of Labor Trafficking, working with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
• US Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in PersonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarold D'Souza serves as expert consultant to this federal office. Provides survivor-informed expertise on trafficking issues.
• All of Us FilmsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'To Be Free' documentary film, produced and directed by Benjamin Ryan Nathan, executive produced by Martin Sheen. Film highlights labor trafficking in the United States.
• US Advisory Council on Human TraffickingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarold D'Souza was appointed to this federal advisory council by President Barack Obama in 2015 and continued service under President Trump through July 2020.
• National Underground Railroad Freedom CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarold D'Souza's and family's story featured at 'Shine a Light' exhibit at the museum.
• Lakshya TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Manvendra Singh Gohil's organization working for LGBT community empowerment. Collaboration to address issues of LGBT and Human Trafficking based on recommendations from Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
• US Global Leadership CoalitionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYvan Demosthenes connected EOI with resources through USGLC meetings with Congressman Brad Wenstrup to build infrastructure and grow awareness.
• Off the StreetsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for female victims of human trafficking, providing housing, medical care, employment services, and support to survivors.
• S&K ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoutique HR Consultancy based in Dubai founded by Desma Rovina D'Souza and her sister Elrona S. D'Souza, supporting EOI's global outreach.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Polaris: Operates the US National Human Trafficking Hotline and runs survivor-shielded programs across labor and sex trafficking. Directly comparable to EOI in mission and survivor-support orientation, but at significantly larger scale and with a data-driven policy footprint.
• Shared Hope International: Focuses on sex and labor trafficking prevention, survivor care, and state-level legislative frameworks. Highly comparable to EOI's survivor-informed, policy-driven approach, with stronger state legislative model-law infrastructure.
• ECPAT-USA: National member of the ECPAT network combating child trafficking and exploitation in the US. Comparable to EOI in survivor advocacy, awareness campaigns, and federal policy engagement, with a broader child-focused mandate.
• Free the Slaves: US-based organization fighting modern slavery through survivor empowerment, community education, and policy reform. Closely comparable to EOI in survivor-informed advocacy and grassroots anti-trafficking approach, with a stronger international community-program focus.
• Anti-Slavery International: Oldest international human rights organization focused on slavery and trafficking, working on survivor advocacy and policy across regions. Comparable to EOI in survivor-centered advocacy and global reach, with deeper UN and EU policy engagement.
• Thorn: Builds technology and runs awareness campaigns to combat child sexual exploitation and trafficking. Comparable to EOI in awareness-driven anti-trafficking work, with a stronger technology and child-exploitation focus.
• Justice at Last: Provides legal advocacy and support for trafficking survivors, with Harold D'Souza serving on its board. Directly comparable to EOI's survivor legal-aid model and partner-level collaboration on trafficking cases.

Others

• National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: Cincinnati-based museum and education center on the history of slavery and modern trafficking; hosts EOI's 'Shine a Light' exhibit. Comparable as a regional anti-trafficking awareness and education venue rather than a direct survivor-services peer.

Broad incumbents

• International Justice Mission: Operates global anti-trafficking rescue, aftercare, and justice programs across multiple countries. Comparable to EOI's survivor support and international footprint, but at substantially larger scale and with a broader portfolio spanning multiple human rights issues.

Emerging players

• Collaborative to End Human Trafficking: Indo-American coalition working to end human trafficking, with Harold D'Souza on its Survivor Advisory Council. Directly comparable as a community-rooted anti-trafficking advocacy peer, smaller in scale and more culturally focused than EOI.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP0d-bRzI9DnSGOgL1F0e5w
• Facebookfacebook.com/eyesopeninternational
• Instagraminstagram.com/eyesopenint
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eyes-open-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eyes Open International