News Archives - Page 18 of 27 - Women At Risk, International

SOAP Project 2016

For three weeks every September, one of the largest art events in the world, ArtPrize, takes over the city of Grand Rapids. More than 400,000 people visit this city to embrace creativity and vote on which art piece deserves the cash award. During this time, hundreds of people walk the streets, creating the perfect opportunity for us to inform our community on the topic of human trafficking. The streets of downtown Grand Rapids become our platform for raising awareness about the prevalence of this injustice in our area.

Part of this heightened awareness includes Women At Risk, Int’l (WAR, Int’l) co-hosting a community-wide S.O.A.P. Project (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution), founded by anti-trafficking advocate and survivor, Theresa Flores, on September 10, 2016. Flores, who grew up in the suburbs of Detroit in the 1980s, was trafficked out of her own home without her parents knowing at the age of 15 by a classmate and his cousins. The pain of this injustice driving her, Flores started the S.O.A.P. Project to reach out to women and girls who desperately need to escape the sex industry but lack the resources to do so.

S.O.A.P. is a project that includes wrapping bars of soap in labels that have the national human trafficking hotline number (1-888-373-7888) printed on them. Hotels are hotspots for trafficking. Victims and customers are easily hidden amongst those who come and go from their many rooms. The labeled bars are distributed to local hotels to be placed in bathrooms, creating the opportunity for victims to seek necessary help. Along with these bars, posters of missing children are handed out to hotel staff members, encouraging them to report any suspicious activity that could occur at their place of employment.

We invite you to join WAR, Int’l on September 10 to help wrap and distribute the bars of soap. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from our WAR, Int’l President Becky McDonald, law enforcement officials, and Theresa Flores herself. You’ll also be invited to join us on outreach as we drive around to hotels in our area to offer them these labeled, complimentary soaps. The cost for the afternoon is just $10, which covers your lunch.

Join us in making the most of ArtPrize this year by creating circles of protection and becoming modern-day abolitionists for women at risk in the greater Grand Rapids area. We have an opportunity to be advocates and catalysts for change this year. Mark your calendars and join us for the S.O.A.P. Project 2016. Registration for this event is required prior to September 10, and can be found on our website at warinternational.org.

During ArtPrize, we will also be partnering with the exhibit titled “Stories in Blue,” by Stephanie Sandberg. This piece will use various creative elements to tell the stories of trafficking survivors. If you cannot attend our SOAP event, please consider visiting the exhibit in its entirety during ArtPrize, from September 21 through October 9.

Date: 9/10/2016
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: WAR, Int’l Headquarters
Cost: $10 to cover the cost of lunch

Women At Risk, Int’l Headquarters
2790 44th St. SW
Wyoming, MI 49519
(616) 855-0796

Commencement Speech

President and Founder of Women At Risk, International, Becky McDonald, recently spoke at Cornerstone University for their 2016 Commencement ceremony. Sharing her personal stories from more than three decades of international ministry experience, Becky shared the heart behind WAR, Int’l with students, and encouraged them to care for others in their affliction. Becky reiterated that no matter what degree students pursued at Cornerstone University, all students can become safe places for the wounded within our society. To view her speech, please click on the video below.

Running Toward Healing

Thousands of women in Mexico are exploited in the thriving underground sex industry every year. Because of police negligence and corruption, the high levels of poverty, and the tremendous amount of women in at-risk situations, Mexico has become one of the world’s top trafficking locations. But among the horrific and traumatic experiences that haunt these women, there emerge stories of triumph through the trials, offering hope for improving the trafficking situation in Mexico.

Norma Bastidas has such a story, one of enduring hardships and finding hope. When she was eleven years old, Bastidas’ father passed away and an uncle took advantage of the destitute family, eventually raping Bastidas. At the age of nineteen, she was lured away from her home by a modeling agency that promised her a glittering career abroad. Needing an escape from her poverty and memories of abuse, she found the job too good to be true. As it turns out, it was. There was no job and Bastidas was quickly sold into the sex trade, frequently being drugged, beaten, and raped.

But her story doesn’t end there.

Bastidas was eventually rescued from her slavery and was able to rebuild her life. She moved to Canada, married, and had two sons. However, recovering from the pain of the past was not easy, and her new life lent no relief from experiencing hardship. Her marriage failed, her oldest son was diagnosed with an incurable eye disease that would leave him blind, and she was unable to escape the memories and shame of being sold to the highest bidder. Needing a way to channel the stress caused by her past and present, Bastidas started running. She soon discovered that she had great talent in the sport, eventually becoming an ultra-marathon runner. Devoting herself to running, Bastidas accepted challenge after challenge, competing in over a hundred races. In 2009, she became the fastest female endurance runner in history as she finished a grueling seven-continent marathon in only seven months. She later completed a 2,600 mile run from her home in Vancouver to her hometown in Mexico. Bastidas’ greatest accomplishment, however, was achieved in 2014 when she swam, biked, and ran over 3,700 miles from Cancun to Washington, D.C., shattering the world record for the longest triathlon in history.

Not only does Bastidas run to heal and cope with her trauma and stress, but she also runs to raise awareness and support for survivors of human trafficking. She wants the world to see what former victims can accomplish even in the face of the horrors they experience. She runs to empower and give a voice to those who have been silenced by sexual exploitation and violence. During the last two miles of her record-setting triathlon, a number of sex trafficking victims ran alongside Bastidas to the finish line, while others waited for her at the end to congratulate her and show their appreciation and support.

While Norma Bastidas’ story is one of hardship and trauma, it is also one of hope and perseverance. She continues to run and compete, raising awareness for victims of trafficking as well as inspiring those around her with her dedication and determination to not let her past define her.

Women At Risk, International (WAR, int’l) loves to hear these transformational stories and see the triumph that comes out of hardship inspire others. It is our desire to see all the women who come through our programs experience healing and overcome their painful pasts. While they may not become world-record-setting triathlon competitors, their stories are just as powerful and inspirational. And as victims like Norma Bastidas continue to shed light on the trafficking industry and empower others to overcome and fight back, the power of traffickers in countries like Mexico will continue to weaken and the darkness that surrounds the business will continue to diminish.

Wonderful News

An Update from the President

July, 2016

Wonderful news! Sweetie has been picked up by her nation’s version of Child Protective Services and transferred from the madam’s house to a government home! I do not want to go into too many details right now for security reasons. I’ve been at this long enough to know that even while rejoicing in the baby steps forward, I have to brace myself (and you) for possible steps backwards.

A Summer Camp That Could Change Lives

By Bethany Winkel, WAR, Int’l Staff Writer

A bewildered teen, having recently aged out of the orphanage that had been her home, steps off the bus and is approached by a friendly middle-aged woman offering help. Another young woman, seeking respite from the abuse that darkens her home life, falls for the smooth-talking pitch of a man promising a way out. Yet another ventures into the city looking for work and is lured by an irresistible offer of a good job at a high-end hotel abroad.

Seizing what she believes is an opportunity to better herself, each of these young women chases a promise to an overseas destination, unaware that she is walking into the hands of traffickers. By the time she realizes she has been scammed, it is too late—those she trusted have turned on her. Alone and without help in a foreign country, she is locked up, beaten, and forced into sexual servitude with little hope of escape.

These heart-breaking scenarios play out time and again in a small, poverty-stricken Eastern European country, where dire economic conditions, widespread government corruption, and lax trafficking laws have created a hotbed for Middle East and Eastern European trafficking rings. Preying on vulnerable young women desperate for opportunities, traffickers lure them across borders with promises of jobs and better lives.

“Rebecca,” our partner in a neighboring country, has seen far too many of these girls trafficked into her own region and has begun working diligently to stop the tide. Risking her own safety, she has made multiple trips to this nation, seeking to educate young women about trafficking risks. Traveling to schools, group homes, and orphanages, Rebecca educates her teen audiences on the lures commonly used by traffickers in their country and shares the trafficking stories of girls from her own program.

Being present at the trafficking prevention programs may very well have made the difference between their continuing freedom and a future as sex slaves.

The impact on the girls who listen to the presentations has been tremendous. Some have been aware of the presence of traffickers but have not taken the danger seriously. Some have had sisters and friends accept overseas job offers and have never heard from them again. Several have been literally on the verge of accepting overseas job offers, only to realize during the presentation that these offers were really trafficking scams. For these girls, being present at the trafficking prevention programs may very well have made the difference between their continuing freedom and a future as sex slaves.

Having seen the effect of her educational outreaches, Rebecca wants to carry the message to even more young people. With this end in mind, she has arranged a one-week camp this summer for at-risk teens, with the dual goals of providing an enjoyable week of fun and equipping them with tools to avoid trafficking snares.

Along with arranging for group homes and orphanages to send their teens to the camp, Rebecca has also issued invitations to families in rural villages. She and her small army of volunteers are expecting 150 campers! For many of these teens, it will be their first and only exposure to trafficking prevention information. Rebecca and the rest of the camp team are excited for the opportunity to positively influence so many lives with this crucial message.

To help raise money to send girls to the camp, WAR, Int’l held a pajama day for employees at Headquarters. Staff paid for the privilege of wearing pj pants, slippers, or both, with all payments and donations going to support this good cause!

While trafficking awareness will be a primary component, the camp will not be all doom and gloom. As with summer camps everywhere, campers will enjoy activities such as arts and crafts, swimming, and games. They’ll get a chance to learn dance, music, and sewing, along with brushing up on their English skills. Most importantly, they will experience worship and learn about the God who loves them and cares about their futures.

For these teens, growing up in one of Europe’s poorest nations, a week of enrichment and activities like this is a rare treat. For many, it will be their best week of the year; for some, it may be the most important week of their lives.

Rebecca’s passion for the girls of this country cannot change the country’s economic and political conditions, nor can it change the unfortunate situations in which many of them live. However, her efforts and the efforts of her supporters can make a tremendous difference to their present and future well-being. It is her hope and prayer that the camp will not only be a wonderful respite for these campers but will also change the course of their futures by giving them tools to ensure their continued freedom and safety.

For many, it will be their best week of the year; for some, it may be the most important week of their lives.

WAR, Int’l is pleased to partner with Rebecca in this endeavor and has agreed to sponsor a number of girls to attend the camp. If you would like to be a part of this outreach and make a lasting impact on these teens, we welcome donations of any amount.

Afterword – Fall 2018: The first camp was a great success, as were the second (held in 2017) and third (held this past summer). Rebecca is now preparing for the fourth annual camp, to be held during the summer of 2019. WAR, Int’l has sponsored campers each year and is collecting donations now for next year’s camp sponsorships. Please consider partnering with us to help more teens experience this life-changing camp!

Note – Because of the situation in this country, we practice a high degree of confidentiality with this partner. For the safety of our partners and those they serve, we have chosen not to reveal the country where the camp will take place.