Today I want to take a moment to talk about a difficult topic - something that makes me feel angry, yet driven. I want to take a moment to talk about what I feel is the worst, most heinous crime in our world today.
Did you know that slavery still exists in our world? Did you know that the amount of people that are currently enslaved in the world right now is greater than any other time in history?
Did you know that children as young as three are literally being sold this very second into a life of forced prostitution? Did you know there are hundred of thousands of children currently living in brothels and being sold to dozen of men for sex every night?
It's true.
It's not easy to hear.
It's not easy to accept.
But it's true.
I could talk about this for a long time because it makes me so upset. I could tell stories of girls that have been rescued from a life of hell. I could provide countless horrifying statistics. But I'm sure if you care enough - you'll choose to educate yourself.
Today is human trafficking awareness day and Compassion International has some of it's own information to provide. Because you see, Compassion has an answer for how to solve this - a big answer. And it's working.
What does Compassion do?
1. It prevents it from happening
2. It intervenes when it does
First of all: Prevention
One of the major reasons why people are forced into human trafficking or become prostitutes is because of poverty.
Too many people that are taken over by the no hope monster feel that they have no other options and their life is worth nothing else. They feel that the only way they can survive and put food on the table is if they sell their body. Or if they can't sell their own - they sell their child's.
Too many people that are poor and hopeless are taken advantage of by people promising them fame and fortune if they come with them to another country to become a model or actress - only to find themselves stuck in a brothel with no way out.
Compassion helps prevent this. By intervening in these children's lives and saving them from poverty they now have hope and their family has hope. They are given the resources to succeed and live happy lives. They don't have to sell their bodies or be sold. They are valued as beautiful children of God.
Second of all: Intervention
If Compassion learns that one of their children has been exploited, they do something about it. They will provide the child with the appropriate medical and psychological treatment and assist the child and his/her family in any way they need. Compassion provides safe houses and legal assistance to the child as well.
Additionally, if you sponsor a child that lives in an area prone to exploitation and abuse, on top of the $38 per month to save a child, you have the option of giving an additional $7 for a total of $45 per month. This additional money goes to the country of your child and their efforts to fight child exploitation and abuse in their country.
So what can I do?
1. Sponsor a child. Some children have little blue symbols on their picture indicating they live in areas prone to exploitation and abuse. If you are as disgusted by this crime as I am, these are great kids to choose from. But the fact is, all of the kids in Compassion's program live in poverty and are therefore at risk. Any child you sponsor you are saving from a life of hell.
2. Donate to the highly vulnerable children's fund. Learn more and donate here.
Human trafficking and the trafficking of children simply should not happen. Together we can end this. It starts with you and me.
Showing posts with label Complementary Interventions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Complementary Interventions. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
One of my favorite videos
I first saw this video at the 10th Ave. North concert I volunteered at in November. I was very moved then because there are few things in the world that make me angrier than harming children (especially sex trafficking). I've always asked God to show me how he wants me to help solve this problem because it simply shouldn't exist - and He did.
When I saw this little face and read about Melany, I wanted her to find a sponsor so bad. By the end of the night when she didn't have a sponsor, God showed me that I could be her sponsor and I could save her from abuse.
Me. A college student that makes $300 a month if I'm lucky could restructure how I spend my money each month and spend less on myself and more on them. (Granted, I am very fortunate that my parents are able to afford many of my expenses). But nearly a third of what I make each month goes to them.
indicates a child that lives in an area prone to exploitation and abuse. Generally they can be found in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Bangladesh, India, Bolivia, and Columbia.
When I saw this little face and read about Melany, I wanted her to find a sponsor so bad. By the end of the night when she didn't have a sponsor, God showed me that I could be her sponsor and I could save her from abuse.
Me. A college student that makes $300 a month if I'm lucky could restructure how I spend my money each month and spend less on myself and more on them. (Granted, I am very fortunate that my parents are able to afford many of my expenses). But nearly a third of what I make each month goes to them.
Please consider saving a child today from a life of forced labor or prostitution. It simply should not happen and we have the power to be that change. As you're looking at children, this symbol:
Monday, October 8, 2012
Other Ways to Donate
In addition to the $38 per month sponsorship there are several ways to financially support your child or Compassion International as a whole.
Gifts for your sponsored child
-Special Child Gift (including birthday): able to give $10-$100 per year
-Family Gift: able to give $25-$1000 per year
-Center Gifts (given to the center your child attends): able to give $100-$2000 per year
-Graduation Gifts (when your child graduates from the program): $10-$2000
Other ways to donate
There a wealth of options and they fall into a couple of categories. I will go into each of these programs and initiatives at a later date but for now I'll provide links so if you are interested you can learn more or donate. One quick word about donations, they are tax-deductible and are in no way binding. If you donate once you are not obligated to donate again.
1. The CSP and LDP
Do you want to help babies and mothers? The Child Survival Program is right for you.
Do you want to help young adults go to college and become leaders in their communities? The Leadership Development Program is right for you.
2. Medical Initiatives
Do you want to help prevent, treat, and rehabilitate those affected by HIV/AIDS? The AIDS Initiative is right for you.
Do you want to give mosquito nets, educate, and treat those affected by Malaria? The Bite Back Imitative is right for you.
Do you want to help kids with medical emergencies that require additional assistance? The Medical Assistance Fund is right for you.
3. Educational Needs
Do you want to help develop and distribute appropriate academic curriculums for the projects? The Children's Curriculum Development Fund is for you.
Do you want to help educate parents? The Health and Parenting Skills Fund is for you.
Do you want to help pay children's school fees? The Education and School Fees Fund is for you.
4. Disaster Relief and Stability
Do you want to help provide relief when disaster strikes? The Disaster Relief Fund is for you.
Do you want to help provide clean water? The Water of Life Program is for you.
Do you want to provide teens or caregivers business training? The Microenterprise & Income Generation Fund is for you.
Do you want to repair homes or projects? The Infrastructure Development Fund is for you.
Do you want to help and give assistance to highly vulnerable children? The Vulnerable Children Fund is for you.
5. Other
Do you want to help kids that don't have sponsors yet? The Unsponsored Children's Fund is for you.
Do you want to help people and churches that are committed to helping children at any time? The Partners of Compassion Fund is for you.
Are you overwhelmed and have no idea where to donate but want to help?
Never fear the Where Most Needed Fund is here!
Further explanation of all of these programs and initiatives and fund will come but in the meantime, check out the Compassion website for more information, call Compassion, or ask me!
Gifts for your sponsored child
-Special Child Gift (including birthday): able to give $10-$100 per year
-Family Gift: able to give $25-$1000 per year
-Center Gifts (given to the center your child attends): able to give $100-$2000 per year
-Graduation Gifts (when your child graduates from the program): $10-$2000
Other ways to donate
There a wealth of options and they fall into a couple of categories. I will go into each of these programs and initiatives at a later date but for now I'll provide links so if you are interested you can learn more or donate. One quick word about donations, they are tax-deductible and are in no way binding. If you donate once you are not obligated to donate again.
1. The CSP and LDP
Do you want to help babies and mothers? The Child Survival Program is right for you.
Do you want to help young adults go to college and become leaders in their communities? The Leadership Development Program is right for you.
2. Medical Initiatives
Do you want to help prevent, treat, and rehabilitate those affected by HIV/AIDS? The AIDS Initiative is right for you.
Do you want to give mosquito nets, educate, and treat those affected by Malaria? The Bite Back Imitative is right for you.
Do you want to help kids with medical emergencies that require additional assistance? The Medical Assistance Fund is right for you.
3. Educational Needs
Do you want to help develop and distribute appropriate academic curriculums for the projects? The Children's Curriculum Development Fund is for you.
Do you want to help educate parents? The Health and Parenting Skills Fund is for you.
Do you want to help pay children's school fees? The Education and School Fees Fund is for you.
4. Disaster Relief and Stability
Do you want to help provide relief when disaster strikes? The Disaster Relief Fund is for you.
Do you want to help provide clean water? The Water of Life Program is for you.
Do you want to provide teens or caregivers business training? The Microenterprise & Income Generation Fund is for you.
Do you want to repair homes or projects? The Infrastructure Development Fund is for you.
Do you want to help and give assistance to highly vulnerable children? The Vulnerable Children Fund is for you.
5. Other
Do you want to help kids that don't have sponsors yet? The Unsponsored Children's Fund is for you.
Do you want to help people and churches that are committed to helping children at any time? The Partners of Compassion Fund is for you.
Are you overwhelmed and have no idea where to donate but want to help?
Never fear the Where Most Needed Fund is here!
Further explanation of all of these programs and initiatives and fund will come but in the meantime, check out the Compassion website for more information, call Compassion, or ask me!
Monday, September 3, 2012
So What is Compassion International?
To put it simply, Compassion International is a Christ-centered
organization that works to release children from extreme spiritual,
economic, social, and physical poverty and enable them to become
responsible and fulfilled Christian adults in Jesus's name.
So what does that mean?
Compassion International is a Christ-centered organization...
At its core, Compassion International is an organization that believes in a loving, healing, saving God. Every employee of Compassion is a Christian and has the same fundamental core beliefs. Each Compassion project is affiliated with a local church, and every child that is enrolled in a Compassion project has the opportunity to hear to gospel and accept Jesus into their life.
...that works to release children...
Compassion has three major programs (the Child Survival Program, the Child Sponsorship Program, and the Leadership Development Program) and each focuses on children. I will discuss each program in more depth a little later but the CSP serves children from prenatal-4, the Sponsorship Program serves children from 3-17, and the LDP serves young adults as they go to college.
...from extreme spiritual...
Spiritual poverty is basically not knowing about or understanding God (or whatever religion you believe in). Many people that live in impoverished conditions never have the opportunity to hear the gospel or learn of the saving messages of Jesus Christ. They are denied an opportunity to learn about and love God and develop a relationship with Him.
...economic...
Economic poverty is what most people think of when they think of poverty, basically having an extreme lack of money. The families that Compassion helps live on less than $100 per month. Imagine that. Most working adults in the US can make at least that much per day. Obviously an extreme lack of money limits an individual and a family in substantial ways.
...social...
Social poverty is the inability to have strong meaningful relationships with others. Those that live in extreme poverty often do not feel that they can trust their neighbors or people in their community so they only interact with their immediate family or the people they live with. People may not attempt to form lasting relationships because you don't know if you will be there tomorrow, let alone the other person. Stressed parents can't always give their children adequate attention which can lead to a wealth of problems for the child.
...and physical poverty...
Physical poverty prevents a person from living their life to the fullest due to poor nutrition, poor health, lack of medical care, lack of education, and other physical problems. Many children living in extreme poverty are lucky if they get one meal a day and do not have access to clean drinking water. Bugs and other parasites threaten them daily and without proper care they are likely to become sick or even die.
...and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults...
Compassion wants to change the story of these kids and allow them to grow up to be role-models and change-makers in their own community.
...in Jesus's name.
And Compassion does all of this in Jesus's name.
So how does Compassion do it?
Compassion works in 26 countries throughout the world in some of the poorest communities in the world. The countries are:
Africa - Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda
Central America - Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico
South America - Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru
Asia - Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand
Compassion has three main programs:
1. The Child Survival Program
This program works with expectant mothers, new mothers, and at-risk infants and toddlers. Donations to this program cover prenatal care, nutritious food and supplements, ongoing health care, infant survival training for mothers, spiritual guidance and education, the loving support of a local church.
Support for this service comes from pure donations from people. You can donate any time, whenever you want, how much you want. Donating once does not mean you have to donate again. There is no specific support to a specific mother or baby, donations help the center you choose.
2. The Child Sponsorship Program
This is the largest program within Compassion. Sponsoring a child means you choose (or are paired with) a needy child living in extreme poverty in another country. Your sponsorship ($38 per month) pays for everything the child will need including school, medical care, classes on a wide range of topics, a loving place to grow and develop, and an opportunity to learn about Jesus.
You are encouraged to exchange letters, send photos, offer encouragement as your child grows and develops, pray for and love this special child.
Sponsorship goes until the child graduates from school (usually 17 or 18 but some countries extend it to 21).
3. The Leadership Development Program
Students that excel in the sponsorship program can continue into the LDP. These students have the opportunity to go to college, earn a degree, and return to the communities they grew up in to make positive changes there. This program is similar to the sponsorship program in that you choose a student to support. The commitment is much greater (about $300 per month depending on the student and location) but you have the satisfaction of watching a young leader grow and develop.
In addition to these funds, Compassion helps fulfill critical needs in communities and helps with disaster relief, malaria, and AIDS. These are all funds that can be donated to at any time, any amount, with no commitment to donate again.
This is a lot of information but it's somewhat of an overview so if you have further questions or would like to know more, please visit Compassion's website: http://www.compassion.com/donate-to-charity.htm or ask in the comments.
Love & Peace
:)
So what does that mean?
Compassion International is a Christ-centered organization...
At its core, Compassion International is an organization that believes in a loving, healing, saving God. Every employee of Compassion is a Christian and has the same fundamental core beliefs. Each Compassion project is affiliated with a local church, and every child that is enrolled in a Compassion project has the opportunity to hear to gospel and accept Jesus into their life.
...that works to release children...
Compassion has three major programs (the Child Survival Program, the Child Sponsorship Program, and the Leadership Development Program) and each focuses on children. I will discuss each program in more depth a little later but the CSP serves children from prenatal-4, the Sponsorship Program serves children from 3-17, and the LDP serves young adults as they go to college.
...from extreme spiritual...
Spiritual poverty is basically not knowing about or understanding God (or whatever religion you believe in). Many people that live in impoverished conditions never have the opportunity to hear the gospel or learn of the saving messages of Jesus Christ. They are denied an opportunity to learn about and love God and develop a relationship with Him.
...economic...
Economic poverty is what most people think of when they think of poverty, basically having an extreme lack of money. The families that Compassion helps live on less than $100 per month. Imagine that. Most working adults in the US can make at least that much per day. Obviously an extreme lack of money limits an individual and a family in substantial ways.
...social...
Social poverty is the inability to have strong meaningful relationships with others. Those that live in extreme poverty often do not feel that they can trust their neighbors or people in their community so they only interact with their immediate family or the people they live with. People may not attempt to form lasting relationships because you don't know if you will be there tomorrow, let alone the other person. Stressed parents can't always give their children adequate attention which can lead to a wealth of problems for the child.
...and physical poverty...
Physical poverty prevents a person from living their life to the fullest due to poor nutrition, poor health, lack of medical care, lack of education, and other physical problems. Many children living in extreme poverty are lucky if they get one meal a day and do not have access to clean drinking water. Bugs and other parasites threaten them daily and without proper care they are likely to become sick or even die.
...and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults...
Compassion wants to change the story of these kids and allow them to grow up to be role-models and change-makers in their own community.
...in Jesus's name.
And Compassion does all of this in Jesus's name.
So how does Compassion do it?
Compassion works in 26 countries throughout the world in some of the poorest communities in the world. The countries are:
Africa - Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda
Central America - Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico
South America - Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru
Asia - Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand
Compassion has three main programs:
1. The Child Survival Program
This program works with expectant mothers, new mothers, and at-risk infants and toddlers. Donations to this program cover prenatal care, nutritious food and supplements, ongoing health care, infant survival training for mothers, spiritual guidance and education, the loving support of a local church.
Support for this service comes from pure donations from people. You can donate any time, whenever you want, how much you want. Donating once does not mean you have to donate again. There is no specific support to a specific mother or baby, donations help the center you choose.
2. The Child Sponsorship Program
This is the largest program within Compassion. Sponsoring a child means you choose (or are paired with) a needy child living in extreme poverty in another country. Your sponsorship ($38 per month) pays for everything the child will need including school, medical care, classes on a wide range of topics, a loving place to grow and develop, and an opportunity to learn about Jesus.
You are encouraged to exchange letters, send photos, offer encouragement as your child grows and develops, pray for and love this special child.
Sponsorship goes until the child graduates from school (usually 17 or 18 but some countries extend it to 21).
3. The Leadership Development Program
Students that excel in the sponsorship program can continue into the LDP. These students have the opportunity to go to college, earn a degree, and return to the communities they grew up in to make positive changes there. This program is similar to the sponsorship program in that you choose a student to support. The commitment is much greater (about $300 per month depending on the student and location) but you have the satisfaction of watching a young leader grow and develop.
In addition to these funds, Compassion helps fulfill critical needs in communities and helps with disaster relief, malaria, and AIDS. These are all funds that can be donated to at any time, any amount, with no commitment to donate again.
This is a lot of information but it's somewhat of an overview so if you have further questions or would like to know more, please visit Compassion's website: http://www.compassion.com/donate-to-charity.htm or ask in the comments.
Love & Peace
:)
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