Program Updates and Stories Archives - Page 5 of 7 - Women At Risk, International

Voices of WAR: A Celebration of Rescue and Hope

Women At Risk, International is excited to announce the recent release of our first CD project, Voices of WAR. You won’t want to miss this stirring compilation of worship songs sung by four talented survivors near and dear to the heart of WAR.

The inspiration for the Voices of WAR CD took root several years ago when two of the women unexpectedly met each other at WAR, Int’l headquarters. President Becky McDonald introduced them, saying, “Survivor, meet survivor,” and asked them to sing for each other. She describes what happened next:

Standing in the shelter of the WAR boutique, they sang—binding their hearts. Staff and shoppers held their breath as they witnessed the unique “circle of protection” that exists between survivors: a powerful, invisible bond, an instant connection. The trauma scars that once held their bodies and hearts captive evaporated as these survivors found safety and refuge in each other’s presence. They held each other’s hearts tenderly, without judgement, with eyes too old for their souls, having walked the same path.

That day, the dream of recording their voices was born.

Several years later, these talented vocalists, along with another talented survivor, gathered in Nashville, Tennessee, to make that dream come true. (The fourth singer recorded her songs separately.) Joined by a world-class producer and musicians, they assembled in Reba McEntire’s studio and poured out their hearts in song and celebration of the journey to healing.

For three days, they sang, laughed, cried, prayed, and sang some more, as Becky sat and scribbled in a journal, capturing the thoughts and memories of those days:

I’m sitting in Reba’s studio. It doesn’t look like a studio. Oh, yes, there are buttons everywhere that the sound engineers are magically controlling. But it looks like my home. This makes me happy. My survivors will feel like we are hanging out in a cozy safe place. This is good. I feel at home.

I look at the women gathered here for this precious day. Oh, Evil, when you picked on these girls, you picked the wrong crowd. They have been to hell and back. But you cannot keep them down. … I look at the pain on their faces as they sing and I determine—so help me God—to buy it back, one tear, one song at a time. May their tears of joy turn those listening away from sorrow and into a new circle of protection and hope! I want every listener to feel God’s presence like light seeping into their darkness.

We invite you to be one of those listeners, allowing the joyful voices of these gifted women fill you with God’s presence as you join them in a celebration of rescue and hope. From the rousing strains of “Break Every Chain” to the quiet strength of “In You,” from the fiery declaration of “Giving Back Love” to the worshipful tones of “The One,” Voices of WAR will inspire you, delight you, and draw you into a worship experience like no other.

Gazelle Girl 2017

Sunday, April 23rd

Walk, run, or strut with #teamwar in the annual Gazelle Girl run as we strive to raise $50k for our Rescue 911 fund!

The theme is “Our Sweat for their Tears.” We run to raise awareness and to support men, women, and children trapped in the bonds of exploitation around the world.

There will be three options for this race: a 5K, 10K, & half-marathon. Prizes will be given to those raising over $100, $250, $500, & $1000 in sponsorships. Check out our fabulous prizes below!

To get started, follow these two simple steps:

Sign up for Gazelle Girl by following this link and using code: GGWARTEAM17 to receive $5 off registration.
Join our free Team WAR page by following this link. All you have to do is join our team and set up your fundraising page.

Don’t live in the Greater Grand Rapids Area? You can still run in a race near you that weekend and raise money for Rescue 911! You can also create your own race that weekend. If you will be participating in a race outside of Gazelle Girl, skip step 1 and go straight to step 2.

We will be with you every step of the way as you raise funds and train for this awesome race! Call us at 616-855-0796 if you have any questions.

Make sure to like our Facebook page by clicking here.

Weathering the Storm

An Update on Our Partners in Haiti

Hurricane Matthew has destroyed what many people have fought to build.

For more than four days, Matthew ripped through coastal areas along the North Atlantic Ocean, sustaining winds of over 130 miles per hour. According to the United Nations, the devastation wreaked by the storm left hundreds dead, thousands displaced, and more than 1.4 million people in need of urgent aid. The hardest-hit area was Haiti, with over 800 people killed and outbreaks of cholera threatening to push the death toll even higher.

Many survivors in these ravaged Haitian communities have lost everything they own—again. In a struggling economy still suffering from the destruction of the 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people, countless women have already made terrible sacrifices to survive. These sacrifices include working in inhumane conditions, giving up children to orphanages, and even selling themselves to provide for their families.

At Women at Risk, International, we understand the hard choices that Haitian women face, and we work to make sure they know they’re not alone. We do this through partnerships with three Haitian charities, helping them to empower the wounded and at-risk in this impoverished island nation. When disaster strikes, we reach out across the world with promises of hope and circles of protection. Here’s an update on how our Haitian partners are faring in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

Our partnering safehouse weathered the storm with all residents and staff safe and facilities undamaged. However, others in their neighborhood were not so fortunate. This includes many of the thirty-five women enrolled in the safehouse’s new community outreach, an educational and vocational training program set to launch this month. Most of these women and their families have lost the majority of their personal belongings. The safehouse is collecting donations to put together hygiene kits for these women and others affected by the hurricane. The safehouse hopes that by covering these basic needs, they can encourage and empower both the women and the communities they serve.

The eighty-one children housed in our partnering orphanage are safe, as the orphanage also escaped destruction. A mountain shielded most of the town from the full force of the winds, but the orphanage still experienced a three-day power outage, and some of its thirty-seven employees lost their homes. The orphanage is gearing up to house and serve additional children in the face of this national crisis.

All facilities at a partnering micro-enterprise program remain intact. The program’s local school may have taken on some flooding, but the building itself is still standing. Workers are currently providing hot meals for the displaced. They are also assessing property damage as locals struggle to live without walls or a roof to keep them safe.

Here in the United States, several of our partners were in or near the path of the hurricane. Matthew passed over most of them without invoking serious damage. One of our partnering safehouses, however, is experiencing significant flooding; workers have already started planning on how to best restore the properties.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, WAR, Int’l encourages you to join us in supporting these programs. Pray for the people of Haiti, that they will recover from this devastating storm. Pray for our international partners, that they can reach the women and children who need their help. Finally, pray for our domestic partners, especially for the flooded safehouses, that God would continue to provide for them and their ministries.

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.