the thousands being trafficked in Southeast Asia. There is no place on this
planet the presence of the Lord cannot touch; no place where He is not already
there. He sees their struggles, hears their cries, knows their hearts, and is
moving His people to respond.” – Kristen
visited/spoke with representatives from many different NGO’s (non-governmental
organizations) whose sole purpose is helping those caught in this terrible
practice. The focus is different for each one. Below is information about these
ministries, NGO’s, and ways that you can help.
The best way you can
be involved is through prayer. It’s easy to feel helpless from here. But
praying for those actively involved in anti-trafficking, praying for those
being abused hourly, praying for justice and for healing- that can be done
anywhere and is so needed. As you read through this small list of NGOs and
ministries, we encourage you to do the most important and powerful ministry
anyone can have, pray. However, if you’d like to get more involved, please
contact me.
The two year AIM team: The group of girls we visited will have another 4, soon 8 join
their team. Currently they are involved with the ministries below. They
continue to meet and pray, seeking Gods direction for further opportunities.
Please read prior posts.
hard places of the world. The team living in Cambodia actively focuses on
sharing the hope of Christ and ministering directly to those caught in
trafficking including children, babies, women, ladyboys, and men.
For more information
about the ministries of the HPC, you can go to: http://www.traffickjam2011.com/. On
this site you will not only find descriptions of HPC’s involvement in Cambodia,
but you will also learn how YOU can be a part from here in America through the
fundraiser “Traffick Jam 2011”.
Daughters of Cambodia: All four of the AIM girls work directly with this NGO, whose
founder is Ruth Elliot. They couldn’t say enough about how life changing and
powerful their work with this organization is. Their website says,
“Daughters’ vision is to empower clients with the internal capacity and
the external resources to change their own lives…. The long-term aim is to
achieve sustainable outcomes in making a real and lasting difference in girls’
lives. Long-term success is defined as a client remaining out of the sex
industry for the rest of her life, supporting herself through dignified,
rewarding work, and raising her own family to have a better future.”
Daughters teaches
girls skills they can use for the rest of their lives as a means of financial
support. There are also creative classes. But most of all, Daughters provides
counseling, care, and support for the girls’ journey to restoration, as well as
on-site church for spiritual growth.
While there, we got
to go not only to the visitor’s center, which has a gift shop and a cafe, but
to the Daughters’ main site. We were asked to refrain from taking pictures of
the clients, but here are some photos of the gift shop and café.
about Daughters of Cambodia, please go to:
Precious Women: Another
NGO we visited was Precious Women, whose founder, Seng Solida, is Khmer. PW is
a local Christian organization which reaches out to disadvantaged and
vulnerable women who are working at BBBK (Brothels, Beer gardens, Bar and
Karaoke) in order to promote value and dignity through providing counseling,
job opportunities and life skills. Two Fridays of every month, they go into
Khmer bars and minister directly to the girls there- a place westerners cannot
go. This past Tuesday was International Women’s Day. Precious Women collected
over two hundred gifts of lotions for the girls, as well as letters from people
from all over the world praying for the girls’ responses. When we left, they
were gearing up for the big event. During our visit,
Lida, their founder, asked us to take pictures of their staff underneath their
new logo.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/preciouswomenministry
Bloom:
Maybe the most incredible bakery I’ve ever visited. They advertise “edible
art”… and it’s incredible. Their cakes, cupcakes, and cookies are the beautiful
and could give Ace of Cakes, a run for his money. But more than just satisfy a
sweet tooth, Bloom seeks “to empower victims of trafficking and
women at risk through vocational training and employment”. Like inside
Daughters, we weren’t able to take pictures inside the bakery, but here are a
few we took outside, as well as websites to learn more about them:
Friends:
This non-religious NGO reaches out to over 50,000 marginalized young people –
particularly street children and youth – each year. They offer a range of
comprehensive services as part of their holistic approach to assisting children
and their families to improve their lives”. We were able to see their
training program in action in the restaurant, as well as the gift shop and spa,
where we got $4 foot massages.
Other NGOs/Ministries we met:
Jars of Clay
(Cafe and Gift Shop): http://www.yellowpages-cambodia.com/listings/kh9560
Peace Handicrafts
(an independent co-operative of landmine and polio disabled persons, which
contributes to social development by providing training and employment): http://www.saffronwinds.com/Home/General/retail/About-Us.aspx
Other important organizations to check out:
International Justice Mission (human rights agency that secures justice for victims of
slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression): http://www.ijm.org/
Chab Dai
(Christians Working Together to End Sexual Abuse and Trafficking) http://www.chabdai.org/home.html
Great stuff! Especially the beautiful video, so full of hope and promise. Is Daughters a Jesus-driven enterprise? We’ll keep praying, Kristen. You two have done a fabulous job. Thank you!
joe
This was a really great set of blogs on your trip. It will be exciting to see how this experience informs your ministry moving forward. Praying Peace.